


Moon-marked

by combatfaerie



Series: Moon-marked [1]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Families of Choice, Sexual Content, rollynch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-01 06:00:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20253304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combatfaerie/pseuds/combatfaerie
Summary: When Becky Lynch left Ireland to pursue her dream of wrestling, she didn't just leave her family: she also left her werewolf pack. The Four Horsewomen and fellow supernatural Paige have helped her balance her wolf with her wrestling career, but her on-again/off-again relationship with Seth Rollins has always been a danger. When she learns that they both want more, Becky must decide if she can trust him with her biggest secret.





	1. Chapter 1

A different bed almost every night was nothing new to Becky Lynch. Travelling was part and parcel of wrestling, and it had been part of a lot of the jobs she'd had in between as well. She did what she could to make hotel rooms feel homier, but in her experience, having a warm body beside you was the best antidote and when it came to warm bodies, there weren't many better than Seth Rollins'. They were spooning, more or less, although Seth was sleeping deeply enough behind her that they were both starting to tilt. The weight of his arm around her hips, the roughness of his beard against her shoulder, the steady warmth from his chest: it was all grounding and reassuring. So why had she woken up?

Sliding her arm along Seth's like a shadow, Becky reluctantly opened her eyes and looked over to where her phone was perched in its charger. The screen had activated, but the lock screen was in dark tones and she had purposefully dimmed the light settings; that shouldn’t have been enough to wake her. Then she heard the beep, like a series of electronic bubbles popping, each one higher pitched than the last. Humans would only be able to hear two of the pops. 

Becky heard five before her brain kicked into gear. Sex with Seth tended to make her a bit dopey afterwards, especially if they hadn't hooked up for a while. The last time they'd fucked was around Wrestlemania and it was almost Survivor Series season, so it had been almost half a year; he had been getting serious with a girl back in Davenport, and she had been dealing with too many family issues to get tangled up in a relationship. But now Seth was single again and things were calmer on Becky's end—and her phone was still issuing its persistent alert. Sighing, she wiggled as far as she could toward the phone without disturbing Seth. At the end of each tone cycle, a bright white circle flashed on her lock screen.

A full moon.

"Shit," Becky whispered, pressing a fist to her mouth. How had the full moon come up again so quickly? It felt like she had just shifted . . . about a month ago. But with travelling and doing interviews and then reconnecting with Seth, time had slipped away from her. Even as she counted down the days to Survivor Series, she had completely forgotten to track those innocuous little circles on the calendar.

Her heart was hammering so hard she was surprised it hadn't woken up Seth. She wriggled back a little bit, hoping to create some space between them, but Seth only instinctively pressed closer, kissing the spot between her shoulder blades that he knew was guaranteed to make her breath catch. Fingers curling around his wrist, Becky otherwise went still, waiting to see how Seth would proceed. He could still be asleep, the kiss a byproduct of a dream or a simple reflex; when they weren't together, they had to make an effort to not touch each other at random. If the kisses ascended, curving around her shoulder, then he was simply waking up, wondering what was going on. If he started moving down, though, echoing her spine with kisses, then he had other things on his mind—things Becky was normally all too happy to agree to, even when she shouldn't. And that night, with the full moon only a day away—_how had she not noticed?_—she absolutely, definitely shouldn't.

"Hey." The single word was almost lost in the rustle of sheets, the whisper of Seth's lips working their way down Becky's back. The arm that had been around her hips slid lower, his hand edging between her legs.

"Seth," Becky breathed, "I should go—" Her hand twisted into a fist, gripping her pillow tight enough to tear it. He was gently easing her down against the bed, spreading her legs slowly.

He was at the small of her back now, and his low chuckle made her hips twitch in anticipation. "Hunter booked the whole floor, Bex. No one's going to catch us." Even though their flings were common knowledge backstage, neither of them were the flaunting type. They tried to avoid fans and paparazzi so there were no pictures, but when it came to their fellow wrestlers, no one hassled them; they all knew the stresses of the job, of being on the road and away from loved ones. Becky and Seth were hardly the only two hooking up on a regular basis, but they were some of the more discreet ones.

"I—I know, but. . . ." Becky gasped deeply, nearly biting down on the pillow when Seth started letting his hands roam. The impending full moon at least explained why she had been so ravenously horny yesterday, but it also made her sense of control dip dangerously. She only needed to shift at the full moon, but she could force it at any time—and if she were overstimulated or overemotional, her inner leash was that much more likely to slip. "Paige," she blurted. "I . . . I told Paige I'd have . . . breakfast with . . . her."

Seth's mouth was at her hip now. "She'll be sleeping. We have lots of time." His fingers slid in deeper, making Becky's toes curl in the sheets.

If Seth had just kept teasing her, using only his fingers and tongue and maybe even his cock, Becky probably could have mustered up enough control to not lose herself. As soon as she felt his teeth along her hip, first just a gentle scrape and then a playful bite, she felt that other energy rise, the one that had nothing to do with hunger or lust but craved them like candy regardless. "Seth," she rasped again, "I should—"

"_Fuck._ Do that again." Seth's voice was a moan, a prayer, and rather than being breath against her back, Becky felt it against her chest instead. After a wave of impulse shuddered through her, she managed to open her eyes and she saw that Seth was now beneath her—_pinned_ beneath her. Her hands, which mercifully hadn't sprouted their claws yet, were wrapped tight around his wrists, turning his skin a blushing red, and she was just barely straddling his hips. His curls spilled all across the pillow she had bitten; hers were across her shoulders, in her eyes, a pale imitation of the fire sparking deep inside her. "Bex, please."

Becky let go of one of his wrists so she could brush her hair out of her face and went to sit back, but that only put her right against his cock. The roiling energy surged through her again, lighting all her veins up like neon until she was sure that even Seth could see the wolf within. "Shit." She rose up on her knees, trying to remove herself from the temptation. It would be so easy to just fuck him until the sun came up, trying to wear off some of that frantic energy that she had been oblivious to for the past few days. But her gaze fell on his free wrist, still angry red; it would probably have finger-shaped bruises in the morning. "Shit, Seth. I'm . . . I'm sorry. I should go. I'm . . . I'm going to go. . . ."

Seth used his free hand to catch her hip and press her down against him, making them both moan. "Do it again," he repeated. How he could make something sound like both a command and plea, Becky didn't know, but the look in his eyes was pure lust. "Please."

"I hurt you," she stammered, voice breaking as she tried to compose herself. Seth couldn't want this. It would be so much harder to get up and walk away if he wanted it too. She needed him to be upset, angry, alarmed; he should have pushed her off him and asked what the fuck she was doing. She pulled her other hand away and pressed it to her stomach.

"Do it again." Seth flexed his newly freed arm to bring back his circulation, and then instead of reaching for Becky's hips again, he wrapped his hands around her wrists in turn, far more gently, and sat up so they were almost touching, almost eye to eye. "I know my limits."

Becky shut her eyes. His gaze was too intense to meet at the best of times, but her entire body was screaming for release and if she wasn't going to let her wolf out, then an orgasm would do—the rougher the better. "Seth, I don't think I should—"

He cut her off with a hungry kiss, one that devoured her common sense each time their tongues touched. "Gauntlet," he growled before biting into her bottom lip.

_Gauntlet_. His safe word. Becky had laughed when he shared it with her, but now it made her shiver every time she heard it. _He's never had to use it with you,_ her wolf voice panted, deep in her head. _You always know just when to stop._

Becky forced herself to sit back, moaning as her lip popped free from Seth's teeth. The tang of her blood reached her nose, but before she could lick it away, Seth dipped close again and sucked the blood from her lip. When he tried to kiss her again, though, she placed her hand over his mouth. "I need you to be sure, Seth. Like . . . really sure. I mean it." The potential of rough sex was keeping the wolf at bay, but just barely. She really would need to see Paige after, but if she could just keep herself in check for another hour, Becky was pretty sure she would be okay. She had cut it even closer before, way back when she was younger and more impetuous, but she didn't want to make a habit of it.

For a moment, she thought her hesitation would make Seth back down, fold her against his chest and ask her what was wrong, but the raw desire in his eyes was almost a match for the grasping ache settling into every joint in her body. Then he held his hands up in surrender, in invitation, ready to be pinned again. "Do it again."

The wolf swallowed any dregs of hesitation Becky might have felt as she pounced, forcing Seth back down on the bed. "If there weren't a show tonight," she growled against his neck, "I'd mark every inch of you."

"Tomorrow night, then." His body tensed and bucked beneath hers and the sound he made when she finally slid down on him was so close to a howl that she almost sobbed with relief. Instead she rode him so hard she had to bury her face in his shoulder when she climaxed so she didn't howl herself.

As they caught their breath, Becky let her gaze travel down Seth's chest. "No one sees your legs at the shows, right?" she murmured. Little aftershocks from her orgasm danced along her skin like sparks. 

"They don't." Seth's eyes were still shut, and the look on his face was utterly rapturous. He made a half-hearted grab for Becky when she slid off him, but then let out a satisfied hiss when she bit along the inside of his thigh. "Well, Cesaro does at the gym. . . ." 

Becky eased back, resting her cheek against his quivering thigh. "I guess I should stop then. . . ."

"No." Seth slid a hand into her hair and urged her closer. "Don't stop."

Becky ran her tongue across her teeth quickly, testing them for sharpness. Pointy, but still human. She could tease him with tongue and teeth until he was ready again, and then maybe the wolf would be sated enough that she would be able to find Paige in time.


	2. Chapter 2

Between the sex and fighting to keep her wolf at bay, Becky ended up falling back to sleep, waking only when a second alarm sounded on her phone. When she rolled over to check on Seth, she found only a note on her pillow, written on hotel stationery. The paper was emblazoned with _Things to remember_ in a florid font, and Seth's simple message, in sharp capital letters beneath it, was simple and to the point: TOMORROW NIGHT.

"Fuck." Becky flopped over and stared up at the ceiling, rubbing at her face. Her hips were aching from Seth's grip and while her wolf was definitely quieter, she knew the sex alone wouldn't be enough to keep it in. There were ways to postpone the mandatory shift, but they all involved magic. Her pack back in Ireland had a witch on call for just such occasions, but over in the States, she had been relying on the services of a vampire—namely Paige. In exchange for some of Becky's blood, Paige would give her a few drops of blood in turn. Vampire blood couldn't confer immortality on a werewolf, but the anti-aging properties had a disconcerting effect on the wolf, messing with the body's perception of time. In theory, Becky could stave off the change indefinitely, but she didn't want to mess with that level of magic. Just a day or two reprieve would do. After that, she was going to triple-check the alerts on her phone and jack up the volume for good measure.

Becky forced herself out of bed and into the shower, cleaning up quickly and examining herself for any tell-tale hickeys, bites, or bruises. Unlike Seth, her legs were usually showing during her matches. There was one bruise on her thigh, but it was far enough to the outside that it wasn't obviously related to sex. Her hips were going to be another story, but the audience would never see those. As she got dressed, she glanced around her room to make sure Seth hadn't left anything behind; he had left his phone once and naturally, that had been the time Becky had run into Dean Ambrose in the hallway—as he was calling Seth.

Thinking of one Shield member must have conjured the other, because Becky had no sooner left her suite and checked the lock on her door than she saw a long shadow stretching out beside her. "Hey, Bex. What's up?" Roman Reigns stood a respectable distance behind her, coffee cup in hand. His hair was already wound up in a bun, and it made Becky think of Seth's hair last night, spread across her pillow, pulled taut between her fingers. 

She quickly blinked the image away and smiled at Roman. "Hey, Roman. Slept in. Sorry. I didn't miss the morning meeting, did I?" The event was paired with meet-and-greets and a few signing sessions spread across the city, and as of yesterday the placements still hadn't been finalized.

Roman shook his head. "Nope. It's in an hour. You've got time for breakfast." He extended his free arm and Becky ducked under it for a hug. "Can we chat on the way?"

Becky glanced over his arm, but she didn't see anyone else around. "Sure. What's up?" His arm was a comfortable weight on her shoulders. There was something very stable about Roman, very soothing; when she was having trouble keeping her wolf in check, often just being around him could help calm her down. Checking in with Paige should have been her priority, but food was a necessity too—and she could try to subtly ask Roman if Seth was okay.

"I wanted to talk about our boy." When Becky stiffened up, Roman laughed and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry, don't worry! It's nothing bad, I swear. And he didn't put me up to anything either. This is all me."

"Okay." Becky was still wary, but she could feel her wolf settling somewhat, lowering itself into a curled-up position but keeping its eyes wide open. "What about him?"

Roman's booming laugh echoed through her arms. "I don't know what you two got up to last night," he began. "That's y'all's business and I don't _want_ to know, but. . . ." He shook his head wonderingly. "Damn, Bex, did you have to scramble his whole damn brain? We went out for coffee this morning and he couldn't even remember how to say _cappuccino_!"

Becky's laugh came haltingly at first, almost like a hiccup, but it quickly blossomed into a full-throated chuckle. "Heh. Yeah. We, uh . . . yeah. Got a little carried away, maybe. Should've saved it for after the event."

"Ya think?" Roman shot her wink. "Kidding, kidding. Like I said, not my business. I'm happy when he's happy. Cesaro took him to a better café to get a cortado or something so he's not completely out of it at the meeting."

"Point taken. Is this your very subtle way of saying I should sit on the other side of the room?" Becky raised an eyebrow. The morning meetings were one of the easiest ways to see who was hooking up. If people arrived together, it could be as much of a tell-tale sign as if they avoided all eye contact entirely.

"Maybe just not within touching distance," Roman countered. "It's a good thing that wrist guards a part of his gear, that's all I'm saying." Then he butted the side of his head gently against Becky's. "But that wasn't really what I wanted to talk about."

Becky turned so he couldn't see her frown. She knew she and Seth hadn't exactly been paragons of discretion last night, but if that wasn't the issue, then what was? "All right. What is it then?" A whisper of guilt slithered through her stomach. "Fuck. He's still with her, isn't he? I swear, Roman, he told me they had ended it. I would never—"

"Hey, hey." Roman stopped them both and turned her to face him. "That's not it. Not at all. You did nothing wrong, okay? Seth broke it off with that girl a few weeks ago. I think she even announced it on Twitter. You're good."

If it weren't for the solidity of Roman's arm, Becky's shoulders would have slumped in relief. She and Seth didn't have many rules for their hook-ups, but they had both vowed to never get in the way of any relationships the other one had. They had come close once, when Seth had just had a fight with his fiancée and Becky's then-boyfriend had complained once too often about how much time she spent on the road. It had taken a lot for them to come back to their senses, and that had been a rare time when Becky had shifted outside of a full moon, simply to expel some of that pent-up energy. "Okay. Sorry. I just . . . I don't ever want to be that person."

"I know." Roman kissed the top of her head and lingered there for a moment, the sound of his breathing calm and even. "He cares about you. A lot."

Becky nodded slowly. She wasn't sure if this was what Roman wanted to talk about or simply a way to lead into it. Was he going to ask her to stop hooking up with Seth? They were all getting older; so many of their peers were getting married and having children. Roman probably just wanted his Shield brother to have the same kind of happiness and stability that he had himself. "I know," she said. "It's mutual. I . . . don't do casual well. But I trust him."

Roman gave her an odd look. "I'm serious, Bex. He cares about you _a lot_." The words were the same, but the emphasis was eerily similar to another weighty phrase.

Even Roman's calming influence wasn't enough to stop her wolf's hackles from rising. "It's too early in the morning for me to try and puzzle this out, Roman. What are you saying?"

After finishing the last of his coffee with one gulp, Roman crushed the cup and tossed it into the trash can by the elevator before pressing the button. "He never came right out and said this, mind you, but Dean and I both got the same impression," he began. "Cesaro too."

The thought of all Seth's friends—her friends too, in a way—discussing their hook-ups was a bit unnerving, but Becky tried to keep calm, counting her heartbeats until the elevator arrived at her floor. "And what impression is that?"

When the elevator doors opened, Roman stepped aside when someone got off and then he motioned Becky forward. "Well, like I said, it's just an impression . . . but I think he broke it off with her because of you. Because he wants to be with you."

Becky wasn't sure if her gut lurched or if it was simply the elevator starting its descent. Whichever it was, her wolf's hackles were definitely raised now; she could feel the energy prowling within her, pushing at her, looking for weak spots where it might break free. "He hasn't said anything to me." Her voice was softer than she liked, more vulnerable, and when she glanced at the mirrored walls of the elevator car, her eyes looked haunted. "He hasn't even hinted, Roman. Are you sure?"

Roman shrugged as he leaned back in one of the corners. "Absolutely sure? No. But the last three times you've become single or available, haven't you noticed that he's magically unattached within a week or so?" She expected to see wariness on his face or some sort of disdain, but Roman's gaze was soft and curious.

"Well, okay, there's this break-up." Becky held out a hand to count on her fingers. "And then when I broke up with Luke—"

"Seth's engagement crumbled two weeks after." Roman's voice was pointed, but not accusatory. "Same thing when you broke up with that actor a few years back. Listen, Bex, I know it's not my business, and I know you're not stringing him along. But he's my brother." He gave a small, helpless shrug. "Do I think he'd be happy with you? I think he'd be over the fucking moon, and I'd love to see it—for both of you. But if that's never in the cards. . . ." He took a deep breath just as the doors opened. Once he saw that no one was close enough to overhear them, he continued. "If it's never going to happen, just tell him that, okay? I know you're not leading him on, but if he keeps waiting for someone he'll never have, he's going to miss out on other relationships that could be good for him too."

"Fuck." Becky looked around hopelessly for a moment, almost wishing for some sign from the universe. Then she slumped against Roman in a desperate hug, burying her face in his chest. "I don't know what to do. I care about him too. You know that. I . . . probably care more than I should. But there's just. . . ." Shaking her head, Becky stepped back. Tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes and she didn't want to walk into breakfast as a crying mess, not when most of the other wrestlers would be there. She could feel the wolf's jaws closing around her heart, teeth sinking in just enough to hurt. The wolf was worse than a shadow: it was with her always, day or night, light or dark. There were plenty of burdens a couple could bear together, but she couldn't expect Seth—or any other human, really—to share the weight of that particular secret. "There's something about me that he doesn't know. _Something_," she said again, "not someone. I couldn't be with him—not really with him—if he didn't know, and if he knew, he probably would want to be with me anymore anyway."

Roman shook his head and pulled her into another hug. "If you don't know our boy better than that," he countered, "I definitely do. I can honestly say I don't think there's any deep, dark secret you could spill that would make his feelings for you change. Secret kid? Buried someone in your garden?" He laughed again, giving her a playful punch in the shoulder. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Lynch. Now c'mon. Let's get you fed before Nattie takes all the waffles. I don't know about you, but after that segment with Big E, I don't trust pancakes anymore."

Becky wiped her eyes one last time and followed Roman into the hotel's large dining room. The company had a private section, of course, and she and Roman were met by a chorus of greetings as they approached. With no small measure of relief, she noted that Seth and Cesaro weren't back yet; unfortunately, Paige was nowhere to be seen either. Between breakfast and the morning meeting, she would have at least two hours where her wolf and her love life wouldn't be at the forefront of her thoughts. After that, though, she would have some work to do. Paige could definitely help with the first issue; with any luck, she might have some insights into the second as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Becky spent most of breakfast and the morning meeting trying to both avoid Seth and find Paige. The former wasn't that difficult: Seth arrived late and Cesaro had steered him towards where Sheamus and Rusev were sitting, and the meetings were usually dominated by the McMahons, so there wasn't much time for chatting anyway. Finding Paige was turning out to be far more difficult than Becky had expected. With her raven-black hair and snow-pale skin, Paige tended to stick out in a crowd, but Becky hadn't spotted her all morning. Once the meeting was finally over, she hurried over to Mandy and Sonya, keeping an eye on where she had seen Seth last. "Hey," she said quickly, "have you seen Paige today? Is she sick or something?"

Mandy shook her head. "No, last I saw she was fine. I think she was doing some business calls for her Saraya Jade line. The McMahons said she could skip the meeting since she's not going to be at the event tonight anyway."

Shrugging into her jacket, Sonya nodded. "I know she wants to do a Women's Evolution lipstick line or something, so she'll probably want to talk to you soon."

That would even give Becky an excuse to be looking for her. Excellent. "We can talk about that at the same time. Which room is she in?" As she glanced up, she saw one of the guys with long dark hair coming her way, but from her angle, she couldn't tell if it was Seth. There were too many people in the room to rely on scent, and it could have been one of the Usos as well; sometimes she couldn't tell them apart without looking at their sleeve tattoos.

"413," Sonya answered, toying with the end of her ponytail. "Hey, I think I heard Seth was looking for you—"

But Becky was already on the move. "I'll catch up with him later," she called out. "Thanks!" Then she manoeuvred her way through the crowd, murmuring greetings and apologies as she made her way to the exit. She ducked into an elevator just as its doors were closing and shot a sheepish smile at the only other occupant, a businessman who looked as weary as she felt. "Sorry," she said as she jabbed the button for the fourth floor.

The man just shrugged. "Free country." Glancing at the rows of numbers, Becky saw that he was on the eleventh floor. If he thought he was getting an express trip there, he was being highly optimistic. 

As soon as the elevator stopped at the fourth floor, Becky practically had her nose pressed to the door, edging through the gap as soon as she could fit; when her hip brushed against one of the still-opening doors, it sent a jolt of memory and pain through her whole body, making her stumble. Luckily, Paige's room wasn't too far from the elevators, so she didn't have a long walk. Once she was at 413, she knocked quickly and stayed as still as possible. Paige's hearing was almost as good as her own, and she knew how to make herself almost impossible to find.

Becky kept looking back at the elevators, feet tapping nervously. Seth was hardly the stalker type, but she knew he would want to talk with her and there was no way she was up to that yet, not without addressing her full-moon issue first. She was just about to knock again when Paige opened the door to the limits of the chain lock. The hotel robe she was swaddled in was almost the same colour as her skin, and Becky could see the hint of black lingerie beneath it. "Hi, baby girl," Paige said, her trademark red lips stretching in a wide smile. "_Someone_ had some fun last night."

"Are you. . . ." Becky waved a hand at Paige's state of undress. "Busy? Otherwise . . . engaged?"

Paige laughed, pushing the door closed just enough to free the chain. "I always have time for you, baby girl. Did Mandy and Sonya tell you about the lipstick? There's no rush on that, sweetheart. But come in, come in."

Becky took a deep breath before entering Paige's room, only in part to reassure herself that they were indeed alone. When Paige shut the door behind her, Becky felt some of the tension in her shoulders drain away. "I fucked up."

"Hm? When I saw Seth leaving this morning with Cesaro, I would have bet good money that you'd just topped the hell out of him," Paige replied, flopping down on her bed so dramatically that the lower flaps of her robe spread like giant wings. "But I don't doubt that you're a lovely bottom too."

Walking to the suite's window, Becky let out a soft snort. Even after all those years of friendship, secrets, and working together, she wasn't always sure when Paige was simply teasing or if she was actually flirting. As she looked at the skyline, she took a moment to arrange her thoughts. That was two people now who had commented on the effect she'd had on Seth; she would really have to be more careful in the future. "Paige, I'm being serious," she said at last, only half turning to face her. "I messed up. I totally forgot about the full moon."

All hints of impishness drained out of Paige's already-pale face and she quickly got to her feet. "Puppy, what do you mean?" She was the only person allowed to use that diminutive with Becky, and only because they had gone through so much together. She might joke and tease, always getting Becky birthday cards with young pups on them, but she had never once tried to use Becky's secret nature against her. "You didn't . . . shift or anything when you were with Seth, did you? I mean, he looked utterly besotted, but I figured that was down to your handiwork."

Becky could feel her shoulders starting to shake. The soporific effect of the orgasms had worn off and her wolf was getting antsy again. If she had been paying attention, she would have been making small, quiet preparations for days now. "I didn't, but. . . ." When Paige wrapped her arms around her, Becky let out a half sob. "Almost. I almost did. Seth was. . . ." She trailed off awkwardly. Talking about flings had never been her style; when some of the other women in the locker room started chatting about sex, Becky usually politely nodded along or found a way to make a quick exit.

"Puppy, we're both big girls here. I'm not going to spread details." Paige led her back to the bed and nudged her until Becky sat against the headboard. She then followed suit, tucking the robe around her legs. "Out with it."

"I don't even know," Becky whispered, twisting her hands into Paige's rumpled sheets. A laptop was open on the bedside table, displaying Paige's online shop; after a few moments, the screen timed out and went black, reflecting Becky's stricken face. "I'd woken up because I heard the moon alarm on my phone, and then Seth woke up and. . . ."

Rolling her eyes, Paige waved for her to continue. "Wanted to fuck. Got it, got it. Where's the worry here, baby girl?" She slung an arm around Becky's shoulders and pulled her closer.

"He was behind me at first and had his fingers in me and. . . ." The memory should have been making her blush with pleasure, but it was just making her wolf stretch in anticipation. It had almost gotten out then; it wouldn't take much for her to transform now. "And then I suddenly had him on his back and was pinning him down and I don't remember how."

"Oh, puppy." Paige brought her other arm around so she could hug Becky properly, and the two women stayed like that for a few minutes, Becky's ragged breathing underscored by Paige's reassuring murmurs. "But you didn't wolf out, right?" she asked at last. "No fur, no claws?"

The eyes were usually the last thing to turn, and Becky counted herself lucky for that. Seth loved to hold her gaze while they fucked and he definitely would have noticed if her eyes had changed. "No. I think I hurt his wrists, but. . . ."

Paige planted a light kiss on Becky's cheek and wiped away the lipstick left behind. "Baby girl, he's fine. Better than fine. When I saw him, he looked like he was quite ready to sign on for the sequel, you know?"

"I can't hold it together, Paige. Not all day." Becky glanced up at her friend. She hated asking for help, even if she knew Paige would be more than compensated for her trouble. It was that she should have known better. She let herself get distracted by work—by Seth, mostly—and now she was scrambling to fix things. "Please. I know you like to have more warning. . . ."

Sitting back, Paige gave Becky's cheek an amiable pat. "Puppy, you don't have to ask. You know that." Then she stood and shrugged out of the robe, tossing it onto a nearby chair. "Don't want to have to explain blood stains to the staff," she explained. "They'll ask too many uncomfortable questions, even from goths." 

Becky laughed at that, but it sounded more like a desperate gulp than anything. "Thank you, Paige. I mean it. Are you . . . will you be okay?" For vampires, werewolf blood was stronger than human blood, and it was so close to the full moon that Paige would have to take a lot from Becky for her own blood to have any effect on the wolf. It would leave Becky a bit weak for the upcoming event, but she would be wrestling Charlotte; it would be easy enough to pull her best friend aside and let her know that she wasn't feeling great. If anyone could carry a weakened performer through a match and make them look worthy, it was Charlotte Flair.

Paige waved away her concern. "I'll be fine, baby girl. There's nothing I can't push back a bit. I got my business shit done this morning, and everything else can wait." Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gave Becky a quick once-over. "Wrist, I'm guessing? Neck will be too obvious, even if you have your hair down." With a laugh, she added, "Is there a spot Seth _doesn't_ touch?"

Wisely, Becky didn't answer. She felt bad for revealing as much as she had. "Wrist will work. I can wear wristbands in the ring, and my healing should kick in soon enough. But we should get at it soon so I'm ready to wrestle tonight."

"One minute." Paige rummaged through a few of the shopping bags that were strewn across her suite until she held up a pair of black leather bondage bracelets. When Becky gave her an arch look, she feigned innocence. "What? They're on brand for both of us, they'll hide small cuts on our wrists until they heal, and we'll look like twinsies. The Iconics will be crying into their vegemite or whatever."

Shrugging, Becky held up a hand and caught the bracelet Paige tossed to her. It wasn't that bad, really, and it would incorporate into her wrestling attire easily enough. It shouldn't take Paige's bite more than a few hours to heal up anyway, even in her weakened state. "Fine. But you're cleaning it up after."

"Of course." Paige set her matching bracelet on the bedside table by the laptop and got back on the bed, taking Becky's left wrist in her hands. "Let me know when you're ready, baby girl."

There wasn't much to prepare. She was already on the bed, so she couldn't fall and hurt herself. Pillows were already stacked behind her. And above all, Paige knew what she was doing. She had done this for Becky countless times and neither of them had ever been compromised. "I'm ready," Becky declared, shutting her eyes. Paige never meant for it to hurt, but the vampire's natural ability to befuddle her prey didn't work on werewolves, so Becky would bear the full brunt of the bite and feel the lurch of every mouthful of blood Paige sucked out of her body.

Paige laid a gentle kiss against Becky's wrist first. "I thank you for this gift." She always said it so formally that it took Becky by surprise.

Some people compared the vampire bite to sex. It always made Becky just what kind of sex they were having, because she didn't find the two to be anything alike. The bite always hurt and was almost galling; for one predator to fall prey to another was instinctively insulting, and everything in her body wanted to fight, to let the wolf loose and attack Paige. With each swallow of blood Paige took, though, Becky felt her resistance wane. She whimpered a few times, flinching when the pulses of pain were too much to bear, but she was quiet through most of it. When Paige finally pulled away, Becky was already sinking into the bay of pillows. "Thank you, Paige," she murmured, eyes fluttering shut. The vampire normally didn't have to take that much.

"No sleep for you yet, baby girl." There was the sound of another wet bite and then the firework aura of blood filled Becky's nose. "C'mon, puppy. Five swallows should do you."

It was a good thing that Paige had already positioned her wrist in front of Becky's mouth, or else Becky likely would have missed it entirely. "Five?" she repeated. She had already lost count, focussing more on getting the blood out of her mouth than how much was sliding over her tongue. 

Paige mustn't have thought she had enough because when Becky tried to pull away, she gripped her head with her free hand. "You're not done yet," Paige insisted. "Two more. Just to be safe."

It felt like it took hours to get the rest of the blood down, but then Becky felt Paige's arm pull away at last. The vampire's blood would not only suppress her wolf for a certain amount of time, but it would also help compensate for all the blood she had lost herself. While Becky was in a sluggish fog, she vaguely felt Paige wipe her wrist clean and place a small square of gauze over the bite wound before clasping the bracelet around it. "Thank you." Her voice felt like it was coming from a faraway place, beyond the wolf, beyond all sense of self.

"Sleep it off, puppy." Paige wrangled the covers around Becky and tucked her in. "I'll make sure you're okay."

Becky didn't drift off right away. She heard Paige typing on the laptop and then making some calls; she heard the toilet and the shower, some familiar cursing as Paige tried to apply her fake lashes one-handed. But everything gradually became quieter, softer, dimmer and more distant, even the wolf, who was now huddled up too, curly tail tucked over its nose as if guarding against the cold.


	4. Chapter 4

The words were probably quiet, but they were also right against her ear. "Quiet, baby girl. I've got this."

As Becky slowly woke, she heard what must have been a second knock, because Paige replied, "I'm coming, okay? Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Becky's entire body felt like a slab of wet clay, but she did her best to wiggle over onto her side. The rumpled covers hid most of her face, but she would be able to crack her eyes open just a bit to see the door.

She didn't need to, of course. As soon as the person on the other side of the door spoke, she recognized the voice. Her body knew it even more than her brain did; her toes instinctively curled, and she had to force herself to stay still. "Hey, Paige," Seth said. To an outsider, his voice would have sounded casual enough, but she could hear the worry stringing his breaths together. "Have you seen Bex? I've been trying to find her since this morning—"

Paige gave a throaty laugh and Becky flinched, hoping the vampire wasn't going to reveal too much. "I bet you are. Looking for a rematch, are you?"

Becky chanced opening one eye a bit further, but Paige was standing in front of the gap in the door. She could just glimpse Seth beyond the vampire, plus the silhouette of someone a bit taller. Roman, most likely. "Hey." Seth sounded like he was biting back some choice words. "I . . . I just want to make sure she's okay. Some things went down that she . . . she might have regretted or whatever, and I just want to make sure she knows we're cool. We're good."

"She's here," Paige said at last, "and she's fine. But she's sleeping." Becky could practically picture the smirk playing across Paige's lips when she added, "Careful, Rollins. You keep wearing out my baby girl like that, and we'll have to have words."

The booming laugh that answered could only be Roman's. "Him wearing Becky out?" While Seth sputtered in protest, both Roman and Paige laughed. "Other way around is more like it. C'mon, man. You got your answer. Your girl's fine. Leave her rest."

The light from the hall started to dim and Becky thought Roman and Seth were finally going to leave, but then there was a thud, like a boot against a door frame. "Was she upset?" The concern in Seth's voice made Becky want to throw back the covers and go reassure him, but blinking alone was taking effort than it should.

Paige's exasperation made her huff raspy. "Seth, she needs to rest. She's got a big match against Charlotte tonight, remember? In fact, I should go get Char now so she can talk strategy later—"

"Paige, please. I just want to know if she was upset. . . ." Becky could picture the anguished look in his eyes and it made her gut clench.

The shadows shifted, and Becky saw Paige assume a haughty pose. "Should she be? I'm guessing there's a reason she's sleeping in my room and not her own. What did you do to her?"

Seth's sputtering was punctuated by attempts at words—_I, I didn't, nothing_—and Roman came to his rescue. "I don't know the details," he said evenly, "but I talked to them both this morning, Paige. Separately. Whatever it was might have been unplanned and probably involved some stupid-ass decisions, but it sounded like it was mutual and consensual. If it wasn't and Seth did something, trust me, I will be the first one to do something about it." Roman's tone invited no argument, but Becky could feel Seth bristling, the same way she could sense when her wolf started to stir.

Becky was about to try pushing the covers off when Paige sighed and opened the door wider, and Becky just got her eyes shut in time. "She's fine, Seth. See? Just sleeping it off." Then Paige laughed. "Man, you have it _bad_. No, she wasn't upset when she came to see me. Now bugger off so she can get some rest. You'll have plenty of time for your rematch later. And if you see Finn, tell him to come see me. I have a werewolf novel he wanted to borrow."

Becky's heart stuttered a bit, enough that she could sense Paige flinch in response. Finn was one of the few other wrestlers who knew about her double nature, and the 'werewolf novel' line was one of their secret codes. Becky had always thought it was too obvious, but if anyone else had caught on, they were keeping it to themselves.

"Sure thing, Paige. We're heading down to the arena," Roman replied, voice still stern. "If we see him along the way, we'll send him up here."

"Thanks, Roman." There were no goodbyes, no final platitudes, just the gentle woosh of the door closing and the room returning to semi-darkness. "Holy fuck, baby girl. You know how to pick 'em. What did you do to that boy that has him so hot and bothered?" Paige sat down on the bed and stroked Becky's hair. "Don't worry. There's still hours before the show. I'm going to call Finn and have him sit with you while I go talk to Charlotte, okay?"

"I'll be . . . fine." Considering she couldn't get both eyes to stay open at the same time, Becky knew she wasn't exactly convincing.

"Uh-huh." The bed squeaked a bit when Paige reached for something, and Becky listened to the haptic vibrations as the vampire tapped out a text. Seconds later, her phone rang and she answered it before the first ring even finished. "Finn. Yeah, you have time for that werewolf novel right now? I need to talk to Charlotte."

"She all right?" Tendrils of Finn's voice, with its familiar lilt, seemed to wrap Becky's head in warmth. He had found out about her nature accidentally and she had dreaded having to report her lapse to her pack in Ireland, but he had sworn to keep her secret and, for whatever reason, she believed him. To that day, he hadn't told a soul, and sometimes Finn was the only reason she thought humans were worth the trouble. "I'm on my way."

"Thanks." After Paige ended the call, she placed a soft kiss on Becky's temple. "Finn's on his way. I'll go make sure Charlotte knows what's going on."

Becky stifled a groan with one of the pillows. She was finally making some headway with her matches, getting herself back in the title picture, and now she was likely to botch one of the matches that could have secured her a title shot. It wasn't even as if she were a new wolf, still learning the moon phases and how they would make her body react; all of this should have been second nature to her. "No . . . need. I'll . . . be fine, Paige."

The knock on the door was so sudden it startled them both. "Holy fuck. That was fast." The door swung open wide, fanning light over Becky's face again, and Paige gave a light scoff. "Are you a demon for real? How did you get here so quickly?"

Finn shucked off his jacket and draped it over a chair. "Whenever Becky needs me, I'm here. She knows that. Go do your thing, Paige. I'm good."

Becky looked up just in time to see Paige nod reluctantly. "Just remember that the wolf is still unpredictable. She should be pretty dopey for another hour or so, but not necessarily. . . ." Paige had dressed in her typical outfit of tight pants and a cropped top, but the concern in her eyes hadn't changed much since that morning.

"I've known her wolf longer than you," Finn replied. There was no boast in the claim, just a simple weary truth. Aside from her family, Finn was one of the dearest people in her life. "She's never hurt me. She never will. We're fine, Paige. If anything changes, I'll call." Then he settled beside Becky on the bed, stroking her hair. "Hey, Bex." His tone was low and soothing, and it even made her wolf settle a bit. "Is it all right by you if I sit with you for a bit?"

Becky tried to nod, but her head felt too heavy. "That would be nice."

Taking a deep breath, Paige opened the door again. "Okay. I'm off to talk with Charlotte. Rest up, baby girl. I'll be back soon."

After Paige shut the door behind her, Finn got up and shut off all the lights, leaving the room in a bluish dusk even though it was midday. Then he returned to the bed and curled up beside Becky, drawing her head to his shoulder. "Bad day?"

"Fucked up," Becky mumbled. Whether it was fatigue or simply the comfort of being with an old friend, her accent thickened. "Forgot the full moon."

"Ah." Finn tapped the thick leather bracelet on her wrist. "Paige's remedy, or a souvenir of playtime with Seth?"

"Both?" In stops and starts, with lots of pauses to catch her breath and her thoughts, Becky related the story to Finn, bracing herself for his judgement. He merely offered her water from the mini-fridge under the suite's desk and kept listening, interjecting only if he wanted something clarified. "I should stop, shouldn't I?" By that point, they were curled up together in the nest of pillows. Becky's eyes had long since adjusted to the artificial darkness, and she was able to mostly sit up on her own. "I'm a danger to him."

"Every living being is a danger to something," Finn countered. "I think that's a decision for Seth to make."

"Not like this." Becky shut her eyes again, but the darkness in her head wasn't welcoming in the least. "He can't make a fair decision without knowing everything."

Finn gave a gentle shrug that lifted Becky's head slightly. "Then maybe it's time for him to know everything."

The words were so soft, so simple, but they shook Becky to her core, leaving her speechless until there was a rapid knock on the door, and Paige returned with Charlotte. Finn left in silence, but his parting words to her kept echoing in her ears.


	5. Chapter 5

The Four Horsewomen had saved Becky more times and in more ways than she could count, so it was no surprise that Charlotte had figured out a way to reconfigure the match in a way that would make their bosses happy but still compensate for Becky's temporary deficiencies. They'd had some classic matches already and there were plenty to come, but this definitely wasn't one of them. Figuring Becky would be good for a short burst of energy, Charlotte gave her a big boot to the head to justify why Becky wasn't able to regroup right away. After Charlotte carried the middle of the match, Becky finally rallied and made her tap out as scripted, but even a casual fan would be able to notice that she was more winded than she ought to be.

When she staggered backstage, Becky caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw Seth approaching. Before she could even start to think of anything to say, though, another voice came down like a hammer—a sledgehammer, to be exact. "Not now, Rollins. Go get ready for your match." Hunter was striding over to Becky and though she dreaded the reprimand she was bound to get for her less than stellar performance, she welcomed the unintended save.

Seth slowed, but didn't stop. "Just one minute, Hunter, I swear. . . ."

But Hunter was implacable. "I told you to go get ready for your match." His voice had dropped into the timbre that Becky associated with wolf pack leaders, and it made her wolf instinctively try to make itself smaller. She hadn't been part of an official pack structure since she moved to North America full-time, but old habits died hard. When Hunter turned that voice on her, along with the steely gaze that went with it, Becky wiped her hands back and forth on her thighs. "Lynch, walk with me. We need to talk."

Becky spared Seth a quick glance, and she didn't have to fake the worry she knew was in her gaze. "Sure thing. Can I grab some water?"

"There's water in the office." And then Hunter was off, leaving Becky to follow. She caught up with him in a few strides. "Something's wrong with you today. What is it?" His tone was brusque, but not cruel. With so many performers and storylines to juggle, Hunter had no time to coddle anyone.

"Just a bit under the weather, a bit scattered. Sorry." Becky's fingers twitched and she wished she had been able to pick up a bottle of water on the way if only so she had something to fuss with. "I'm working on it."

Hunter huffed out a rough laugh. "I'd tell you to sleep it off, Lynch, but I'm pretty sure your bed is part of the problem." He stopped in front of his impromptu office and held the door open for her. "We know you and Seth have a thing, so don't even bother. As long as it's not affecting your matches or his, we don't really care. Life on the road is rough. We get that."

Temporary as it was, the office still looked nice, even though it was furnished sparsely; Becky idly tried to remember if it had been used in any backstage segments. The desk and fake plants must have been borrowed from some office in the arena, and all the chairs looked comfortable, not just the boss's. "Sorry," she said again, trying to slow her heart. If she started to panic, the wolf would see that as an invitation to come to the rescue. "Did someone complain about us?" It was entirely possible that they had been too loud. If that was the only reason she was being called in, she would consider herself lucky.

Hunter sat behind the desk and shook his head. Then Becky heard a suction-release sound and he set two bottles of water on the desk. "Sit. And no, no one's complained. Charlotte might complain about her back, though, given how she had to carry that match." Hunter leaned closer. "So what's wrong, Lynch? Don't try to hide an injury. You know that never works out well."

"I'm not. I'm not, I swear." Becky took a deep breath. There was no way she could tell Hunter the truth, and any quick lie she could think of seemed pathetic. Why hadn't she discussed what to tell the bosses when she and Paige and Charlotte were plotting the match? Part of her wished she could just be honest. Hunter was like the patriarch of NXT and every time someone was called up to the main roster, he took their successes—and failures—very personally. "I'm just not feeling great. I tried sleeping it off this afternoon; you can ask Paige."

Hunter kept his gaze trained on her, but some of the tension in his shoulders had eased. "What do you need?"

No more full moons? No more werewolf blood? There was nothing Hunter could do to fix her main problem, the issue that bled into all the others. "Just a bit of time and patience, honestly. Give me a day or two and I'll have everything sorted. Right as rain." She twisted open her bottle and drank half the water in one gulp. It sloshed ominously in her stomach and she only just then remembered that she hadn't eaten supper. No wonder the wolf was antsy.

"Lynch." Hunter leaned back in the chair, swiveling slowly from side to side. "You know I believe in you. Dusty believed in you. But ultimately, right now, it's Vince you need to win over." He shook his head and sighed. "You're not his type. You know that. That means you'll have to work extra hard, especially against Charlotte. If it were up to me, I'd give you the title push . . . but I also don't want to push you just to have you fall on your face."

"I know. This . . . this won't happen again, I swear." Becky was already trying to think of layers of alarms she could set on her phone. She could avoid sex in the days before the full moon, even if Seth was available. She hadn't fought back from near-retirement to let her dream wither before it had even bloomed. "Paige is going to help me get my shit together."

Hunter raised an eyebrow and Becky flinched. Paige had more than her fair share of transgressions in the past year or two, so she probably wasn't the best helper to name. He didn't comment on her, though. "Now, about Seth. Do I need to talk to him, or can you two figure that out on your own?"

Becky shook her head. "No. This is all me, Hunter, Please don't drag him into this. I . . . I know what I need to do, and Paige will help me. So will Finn," she added. Balor's name would carry more weight with Hunter, she hoped, and it seemed to. She decided to try rerouting the conversation. "You said if it were up to you, I'd get a title push. How's Steph feel about that?" Vince was still in control now, but the power structure was shifting more and more to his kids. She knew there was no way she would ever fully sway Vince at this stage of her career, but if Hunter and Steph and Shane could see her potential, then her dream was still alive. If not, then she had even more decisions to make, because she wasn't about to toil night after night while everyone else got the opportunities that she had earned and deserved.

Hunter's lips twitched in a smile. "Steph agrees. With the whole Women's Evolution thing, she knows we need more than just one type of woman at the top. The opportunities are there for anyone willing to do the work and put in the time. My vote's on you, but I need to know you can handle the pressure, Lynch. "

"I can," she assured him, taking another long swig of water. All she had to do was get this full moon out of the way, and then she could reboot everything. Her dream was in sight; if she played her cards right, she could bring all the threads of her life together and weave them into a whole. "And I want to prove that."

"Good." Hunter rapped the desk with his knuckles, a sure sign the meeting was drawing to a close. "Next time something like this happens, you come to me or Steph first and we'll tailor the match. Understood?" On the desk, his cell phone beeped and he tapped out a quick reply before setting it aside again.

Becky nodded as she stood. "There won't be a next time," she vowed, "but I understand." Then she hesitated for a moment. "If there are repercussions, I'll take them in full. Please don't blame Charlotte. She was just trying to help me out."

Hunter waved away her concern. "I know. It's fine. Steph and I will spin it to Vince. Now go work on getting your shit together and get some actual sleep." Then with a real smile—not a manager's smile or even The Game's smile—he added, "Obviously I can't tell you what to do with your evening, but I think sleeping solo might be the better choice tonight."

"Yeah." Becky grabbed the edge of the desk and hauled herself to her feet, taking her bottle as an afterthought. Seth's note had said _Tomorrow night_, and she dreaded going back to the hotel, imagining him waiting in front of her door. When it was that early in the morning, was 'tomorrow night' the same night or truly the next day? She was pondering that as she left Hunter's office and since she was lost in thought, she nearly ran right into Finn. "Hey." She jerked a thumb back at the office door. "I didn't get you in trouble, did I?"

In reply, Finn handed her his phone, open to a text conversation. The second-most recent one read _Can you come meet Becky at my office, please?_ "Trips was worried about you," Finn explained as he pocketed his phone. Then he crooked an elbow and didn’t budge until Becky linked arms with him. "And he thought I'd be a good babysitter because I'm probably the person you're least likely to slap the face off of."

Becky let out a soft snort. Hunter was really serious about her staying away from Seth tonight, it seemed. "You don't have to babysit me. I promise I'll behave. I'll go right back to the hotel, watch some TV, and then go to sleep. _Alone_," she emphasized. 

Finn unleashed his broad, dorky grin that was so unfairly endearing. "Nope! We're going out to eat first, because you didn't have supper. Then _we_ are going back to the hotel and _we_ are going to play some video games with Xavier and Big E—"

"Finn, I don't think—"

"While Cesaro and Sheamus take Seth out to some fancy coffee place. All tidy." Finn finished as easily as if Becky hadn't even spoken. "Xavier said you could even pick the game, as long as it's not a racing one since _someone_ has a tendency to go off-road."

Becky rolled her eyes. Her driving abilities, both in real life and in video games, were a running joke in the locker room. "Only on the corners," she replied, "or for shortcuts."

"Or because you just refuse to learn which button is for the brakes," Finn countered, letting her arm go so he could give her a half-hug. 

"Pfft! Who uses the brakes in video games? No one, I tell you. No one!" The wolf was still nudging at her nerves, anxious to be set free despite the subduing effects of Paige's blood, but Finn was buoying her spirits quite nicely. And it was virtually impossible to mope when you were spending time with anyone from the New Day. It wouldn't solve her larger problems, but it would help with the immediate ones, and at that point, Becky considered anything she could get off her plate as a bonus.


	6. Chapter 6

Becky could remember some of her teachers telling students that playing video games late at night would keep you awake, but the tournament with the New Day had worn her out nicely. She had ultimately lost to Xavier, but by the time Finn had walked her back to her room, it was too late for Seth to come calling—he would assume she was asleep and not want to bother her—and she was fed, happy, and tired.

Finn steadfastly refused to leave, saying he could sleep on the floor or the couch under the window. Becky refused, of course, and they both stretched out on the bed, cuddly but platonic. It felt weird to be in such a slower gear considering what she and Seth had done in that same bed not even a day ago, but at least now she felt like she had some potential fixes for her problem. "So are you shifting tonight—later today," Finn clarified, drowsiness thickening his accent, "or the next day? I'll stay with you." If they were in an unfamiliar place, he often went with her, carrying a leash in case a stranger saw a rather large wolfy creature; then Finn could say he had just let his wolf-dog off the lead so she could have a nice run.

"You don't have to. Paige will. And Bayley. You know what she's like with my fur." Aside from Finn and Paige, only Becky's fellow Horsewomen knew her secret. She couldn't bear to keep it from them, not when they were so close and there was so much potential for her to hurt them accidentally. Sasha and Charlotte both took it quite seriously, but sometimes Bayley could act like a kid meeting her puppy for the first time.

Laughing, Finn kissed Becky's forehead. "Can't blame her, to be honest. It's so soft. And a normal colour," he added with a grin, "not this Kool-Aid mess."

"Hey!" Becky didn't argue the point, though. She was tired and comfortable and it was nice to be with someone who wouldn't freak out if she shifted without warning. "Might not want to get too close," she warned. "I shouldn't transform in my sleep, but it could happen. . . ."

"I'll take my chances." Finn snuggled closer and their shared warmth put them both to sleep in minutes, their breathing slow and even. 

Becky didn't wake until her alarm went off hours later. Once again there was a note on her pillow, but this time it was in Irish, with Finn saying she would be travelling with Bayley and Sasha, who would meet her at her room around nine. Glancing at her phone, Becky saw that she had about half an hour to get ready. It never took her long to shower and get dressed—not when she was alone, anyway—and she was just finishing up her packing when there was a knock on her door. For a moment, she worried that it was Seth, but a quick sniff caught the scent of Bayley's favourite shampoo. 

"Rise and shine!" Sasha called.

Becky hurried over to the door to let them in. "Hey, guys. Thanks for changing your plans. I appreciate it."

"Any time." Bayley hugged her from one side and Sasha from the other. "Good to go?" Bayley asked, glancing around the room.

"Just going to do a walk-about to make sure I didn't forget anything." Becky checked the bathroom first and then the main room, but the only signs of her left in the room were the rumpled bed sheets—making the bed had never been one of her particular strengths—and some trash in the bin. "I'm good. Breakfast on the way?"

Sasha shook her head. "We already got you some take-out. It's waiting in the car. Finn said it would be best if we didn't run into Seth, so we wanted to get a head start. Come on."

The three women made their way down to the lobby and checked out at the counter before heading to their car. "You can stretch out in the back," Bayley offered as she hopped into the passenger seat. "Sasha and I will trade off."

"You're just saying that because you don't trust my driving," Becky said with a mock pout. In reality, she welcomed the extra space and the slight bit of distance. If she wanted some quiet, all she would have to do is pretend to be sleeping.

"Damn right," Sasha agreed, softening the blow with her laugh. "Seriously, Bex, just take it easy. We got this. Eat up. Sleep. Paige and Finn did some scouting and they found a good forested area for you to shift that's not too far from our next event. We should get there before supper so you can check it out and make sure you're comfortable with it."

For a moment, Becky's heart swelled. Just last night in Hunter's office, she had been thinking about her lack of a pack, but she'd had one for years. She might have been the only true wolf in it, but Bayley, Charlotte, Sasha, Paige, and Finn all had the strength and loyalty that defined a real pack. _So does Seth,_ a traitorous part of her brain said. Seth was fiercely protective of his friends; would that devotion extend to her if he knew the truth? She wasn't so sure. It was one thing to defend a friend; to deal with a supernatural creature was something else entirely.

"You're the best. Both of you. And Charlotte and Paige and Finn." Becky opened the take-out bag and started eating as Sasha pulled into traffic.

"We can't _all_ be the best," Sasha replied, winking at Becky in the rear-view mirror. "One of us would have to be that little bit better."

"The best-best," Bayley agreed with a sage nod. She didn't have her trademark side ponytail in place, and Becky was struck by the difference it made to her appearance. It could be so easy to dismiss Bayley as goofy and child-like, but her heart had no equal.

Becky laughed after taking a long swig of coffee. It was only take-out coffee, lukewarm now and slightly bitter, but it was better than nothing. "Well, that would be me, naturally. I mean, think about it. I can have a tail. Do _you_ have a tail? I don't think so. Case closed."

They joked like that through Becky's en-route breakfast and she did her best to ignore the notification beeps from her cell phone, but eventually even Bayley and Sasha heard them. "Is that your phone, Bex?" Bayley asked, jabbing ineffectually at her own. 

"You can't double-tap to wake your screen with this one, remember?" Keeping her eyes on the road, Sasha reached over and pressed the power button to wake Bayley's phone. "Nope, not yours. And that's not my tone. Must be yours, Becky."

"I'll check." Wiping her hands on a napkin, Becky set the fast-food bag aside and took her phone from her bag. "I thought I had a different tone too." When she opened her messages, she was relieved to see they were from multiple people, not just Seth. Not telling him was weighing on her more and more, but that wasn't a conversation she felt like having in a car. There was a message from Charlotte and Paige, who were travelling together, saying that they were on schedule and would send pictures if they arrived before the other three Horsewomen did. Then Finn had texted to say that he had everything taken care of on his end and would be heading out as soon he could leave without arousing suspicions. The other three were from Seth.

The first was simple: _I think I took your fitness tracker by accident. I gave it to Finn to give to you._ That wasn't too bad. It was the second message that made Becky's heart start to flutter. _If I did something that upset you, I'm truly sorry. Please let me know so I can make it up to you._ The third made her bite her lip hard enough to make it bleed: _I'm worried about you. Just let me know you're okay. Please?_

"Bex?" When Becky looked up, she saw Sasha glancing back at her. "Everything okay? Char said they would send more details about the site, but they can't be there already. . . ."

"Yeah, everything's all right. Char and Paige said they'll send pictures if they get there first, and Finn's just tying up some loose ends," Becky reported.

She wasn't going to mention the messages from Seth, even though Bayley and Sasha had both clearly heard more than two notifications. "And Seth?" Bayley asked softly. "Bex, just say you're okay and you need some space. He'll respect that. It won't stop him from being upset, but at least he won't be worrying."

The last part of Bayley's plea made Becky keep her phone out rather than plunge it deep into her bag where only she would be able to hear the text alerts. It wasn't fair to make Seth worry; if he was anxious, it would affect his matches too, and she didn't want him getting in trouble with Hunter for something that was ultimately her fault. "I know," she sighed. That didn't make composing the message any easier, though. For what felt like half an hour, Becky stared at the blank message field, debating what to say. In the end, she almost copied Bayley word for word. _Hey. I'm okay. Something came up and I need a bit of space to think about it, but you did nothing wrong. Sorry to have worried you._ The last bit was probably too formal, but Becky had already hit Send before she could delete it.

It took less than a minute—soon enough that he was clearly waiting for a reply, but not so immediate that it felt desperate—her phone trilled again. _Thanks for letting me know. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here._ Part of Becky wanted to delete all the messages so she wouldn't have to think about them during the ride, but she left them intact. They stood in sharp contrast to the lewd teasing in the messages just above, but maybe that would serve as a reminder too: Seth could—and, according to Roman, wanted to be—more than just good sex.

Bayley and Sasha quickly drew Becky out of her dour mood, singing along to the radio and making up silly road-trip games to distract her. Between their goofiness, bathroom breaks, and stopping for lunch at a Ukrainian café where a sweet little grandmother was utterly baffled by Sasha's purple hair, it was almost mid-afternoon before Becky registered the wolf starting to strain again. She let out a small growl before wrapping her arms around herself. Strong emotions always made the wolf more unpredictable, but she was such a mess that it was impossible to say which feeling was the culprit. Guilt over Seth? Shame over her stupidity and lack of foresight? Relief that she had such good friends to help her wade through her mess? Maybe the strain of being a wolf without a pack was finally undoing her. The idealization of the lone wolf was misleading; a wolf alone, cut off from its pack, was a walking wound.

"Bex? You okay?" Bayley was driving now, but it was Sasha who looked back at Becky. "Do you need to pull over?"

Becky shook her head. "No. It's . . . a wolf thing." Sometimes it was easiest to leave it at that. Then her friends didn't ask questions she couldn't answer.

Sasha didn't look completely convinced, but she turned away. Becky could hear her rummaging in her purse and when she turned back, Sasha was holding a small vial of blood. "Paige said only to give this to you if you really needed it," Sasha began, "but honestly, having a vial of blood in my purse is fucking creeping me out, so just take it."

Taking the tiny glass tube, Becky watched how it sparkled in the sunlight for a moment, the vampire's blood thick enough to coat the glass with a crimson film. Paige had already given her more blood than she should have. "Did she say when she took the blood?" Becky asked, voice almost reverent. If it was from before their exchange, it would be super potent, almost undiluted; if she had extracted it after, it would be laced with Becky's own enahncedblood. Each scenario had its plusses and pitfalls.

Sasha gave a wide-eyed shrug. "Never thought to ask. Does it matter?"

It would, but Becky couldn't be bothered to text Paige and verify. If she only took a few drops, it would be enough to keep her drowsy until they arrived at the forest, and that was probably her best case scenario. "Not much," she hedged, opening the vial and tapping two drops of blood out onto her palm, which she licked clean. Both Bayley and Sasha shuddered a bit, though they did their best to hide it; they loved Becky dearly, but neither of them were too keen to learn the details of her condition.

Becky carefully capped the vial and tucked it in her purse, far away from her phone. Then she stretched out on the back seat. "Give me a shove if you get stopped by cops," she murmured. Just as she slipped into sleep, a text alert sang out from her phone, but she left it unanswered. Maybe she didn't know what to say to Seth—or even Sasha and Bayley—but if she communed with her wolf, perhaps she could at least find some peace with herself.


	7. Chapter 7

The further they got from the city, the better Becky felt. Not even the magic in Paige's blood could get her to sleep for longer than half an hour at a stretch, but it was better than nothing. When she was awake, Bayley and Sasha did their best to distract her with bad jokes and even worse sing-a-longs; when she was sleeping, or at least pretending to, they lowered their voices and gave her the space she wanted. She was halfway between sleep and waking when she heard them talking about Seth, and though she knew it wasn't fair to use her enhanced hearing to eavesdrop, Becky still did it, squirming around on the back seat until she knew they wouldn't be able to see her face. She could control her breathing the majority of the time, but her facial expressions were almost like reflexes and would end up being her undoing.

"Finn thinks Bex should tell Seth about the wolf thing." That's what Bayley called it: 'the wolf thing', as if it were an outfit Becky could pull out of her closet. In a way, she wasn't wrong. Becky could transform whenever she wanted. The more time she spent around her human friends, though—her makeshift pack—the less time she wanted to spend in wolf form. Time spent on four paws was time she couldn't meaningfully share with them. "What do you think?"

"I think that's Becky's decision and no one else's. I mean, unless she plans to marry him or something. Then he would need to know." Sasha's reply was casual and candid, but the mention of marriage made Becky's heart speed up a bit. She and Seth weren't even really dating; why was marriage all of a sudden a factor in the discussion?

"Obviously." Becky could almost hear Bayley's eye roll. "But if you were the werewolf in this scenario," Bayley rephrased, "what would you do?"

Sasha's laugh held just a hint of roughness. "Honestly? I'd probably be back with my pack or whatever. Other wolves." Her voice softened then, and the squeak of her seat belt made Becky think that Sasha was looking back at her. "Can you imagine how lonely she must be sometimes? I mean, I know she has us and we're with her one hundred percent, but . . . it's not the same. It can't be the same. She can't be fully herself with anyone here."

"Yes, she can. She can with us." Bayley's insistence was pure and naïve, and it warmed Becky's heart. "We're her sisters."

"It's not the same. On some level, she's probably always holding back." Sasha sounded saddened by that, defeated almost.

Becky hated hearing her friends sound so downhearted. For all the times she had fretted over how difficult her life was, she rarely considered the effect her secret had on her friends. _Maybe I should leave,_ she thought. _Tell Hunter and Steph I have family issues back home. I can find an indie in Europe to wrestle in. . . ._

It wouldn't be the same, though. The Horsewomen wouldn't be there; there would be no girls' nights and long drives with Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha. No dorky Irish fun with Finn. No late nights and early mornings with Seth. The life she had fought so hard for would be gone in an instant, and she would never be able to rekindle it. She and the girls would still remain friends, but the brass would insert another woman to keep the Four intact; Naomi would be the best fit. She would keep in touch with Finn, but it wouldn't be the same as being able to hug him almost every day. And Seth—Seth was his own story entirely. She would be able to find other friends and other lovers, but would she be lucky enough again to find someone who could be both? Becky wasn't so certain.

_And there's your answer._ It was her own inner voice, but it sounded an awful lot like Finn for a moment. But it was easy for Finn to be so optimistic. If she revealed her nature to Seth and he took it badly, he would have to be silenced to protect all werewolves.

Becky cursed herself when she realized she had zoned out on a large chunk of Sasha and Bayley's conversation. The car rumbled to a stop and she guessed they were at a gas station from the overriding scents of fuel, salty snacks, and stale sweat. A moment after the engine shut off, Bayley reached back and shook Becky's knee. "Hey, Bex. We're stopping for gas and snacks and to stretch our legs."

"Okay. Thanks." Becky rubbed at her face and made herself sit up. Between the two doses, she'd had enough of Paige's blood that she should have been in a coma. The fact that the vampire's blood was just barely keeping the wolf at bay was worrisome, and she didn't fully trust herself around humans she didn't know. "Wait for me."

Bayley opened the back door and helped Becky out. "Sasha went in already. Did you just want to walk around?" Along with a roadside diner and a small mechanic shop, the gas station was surrounded by sparse woodland. "Not . . . you know, but you could stretch your legs."

"Only if you or Sasha is going too. Forest scents. . . . " Becky shook her head. The wolf was too close to the surface to trust. All it would take would be the sight of a deer or even a rabbit and the wolf might decide not to wait for the full moon.

"Right. Well, let's go pick out some snacks." The gas stations were always hit or miss. Sometimes the clerks recognized them and made a fuss about wanting selfies; other times the staff were oblivious and barely met their eyes as they made their purchases.

On their way into the store, they passed Sasha. "I'll pump the gas. Get me some of those sour peach candies, okay?"

"Got it!" Then Bayley held the door open. "I'm going to the bathroom first and then I'll help pick snacks, okay?"

Becky merely nodded, grabbing a shopping basket from the rack near the door and wandering the aisles. She had spent enough time with all of the Horsewomen that she knew their favourite snacks, so she knew what to grab. For herself, she picked a bag of Skittles and then emptied the box of beef jerky strips into the basket. Finn often joked that she was like a teething baby when the full moon was near, and he wasn't wrong. Bayley had hardly left the bathroom before Becky handed her the basket. "I'm paying," she said simply, watching Bayley's eyes go wide when she saw all the beef jerky in the basket. 

Then she took a deep breath, held it, and went into the washroom. The overall stench wasn't as bad as she expected, but Becky still went about her business quickly and got out as soon as she could. Bayley was already at the cash register when Becky returned, unloading the basket's contents on the counter. "I've got it," she insisted. "You can get the next round."

"Fine." Arguing on a full-moon day was never wise, so Becky tended to choose her battles more judiciously during those fraught times. Once the cashier had packed up one bag, Becky grabbed it and pointed to the car, where Sasha was washing the windshield. "I'll go help," she added, grabbing a jerky strip from the bag and tearing it open as she left the store. By the time she reached the car, she had devoured it.

Sasha gave her a concerned look. "You gonna make it, Bex? If you have to . . . you know, Bayley and I can keep watch while you go into the forest."

Becky shook her head as she dropped the wrapper in the trash. "I'll be okay. Food will help." While Sasha finished cleaning the windows, Becky opened the drinks cooler and rearranged the remaining bottles to make space for the ones Bayley was bringing out. She gnawed her way through two more pieces of beef jerky while cleaning the discarded wrappers and other trash out of the car. "Dibs on the jerky, though."

On any other day, Sasha would have fought her for it, but she simply slipped back into the driver's seat. "All yours."

Bayley returned, almost out of breath. "Sorry! There was a kid who wanted an autograph, and then there was the sweetest dog." She handed the bag of drinks back to Becky. "I got a mix: water, juice, power drinks."

"Everyone buckled in?" Sasha asked, glancing back at Becky. "You can stretch out again if you want, Bex. We'll let you know if you need to look alert."

"I think I'll try staying awake for a bit." Part of her wondered if they just wanted to talk about her, but she couldn't catch any covert looks between Sasha and Bayley, so she figured she was being paranoid. The wolf had strange ways of manifesting in her human behaviour, and the scary thing at the moment was that she probably wasn't even aware of half of them. The hunger was an obvious one, and she did her best not to sound too animalistic as she gnawed on another piece of beef jerky.

"I think I heard your phone go off a couple times while you were asleep," Bayley added, reaching for her own phone.

"Thanks." Becky made no move to check her phone, though. Any response she gave would be questionable; she had to deal with the wolf before she could play human.


	8. Chapter 8

The forested area Paige and Finn had found wasn't part of a national park; it didn't even seem to have a name. That worked in Becky's favour. It was wild enough that it wasn't likely to attract visitors, at least not ones with young children, so she wouldn't have to worry about mistaking a small kid for a deer. Killing wasn't an inherent part of a full-moon shift, but it was a very real possibility. She felt bad about killing deer too, for that matter, but she could at least take solace n the fact that other animals in the area would have a meal out of it.

When Bayley, Sasha, and Becky arrived, they spotted Paige's car pulled off to the side and Charlotte's bright blond hair was like a beacon between two trees. As soon as Sasha stopped the car, Charlotte ran over and practically pulled Becky out of the back seat and into a hug. "Bex. I'm so sorry. I had an alert on my phone too and I was going to say something to you, but I forgot."

Becky sank into the hug for a moment. On a full-moon pack run, there would be tons of frolicking, and that's what she missed the most: the simple reassurance of casual touches, the play fighting, the silly chases. A run for a lone wolf was literal, the simple motion and little more; a pack run was an explosion of touches and scents and delight. "None of that, Char. It's not your job."

"Yes, it is." Charlotte knew just how good Becky's hearing was and she leaned close enough that only her best friend would be able to hear her. "I'm here for you. Always. One hundred percent. You know that, right?"

"I do." Becky gave her one last squeeze before stepping back. "Thanks, gang. I'll just take a walk around and scout and then . . . do my thing."

Finn came up and gave her a quick squeeze. "We're supposed to be at a restaurant in two hours, so will you have enough time? We can always come back later. . . ."

Becky nodded. "I'll make it work." She wasn't sure how easily she'd be able to coax out the wolf given how much vampire blood she had ingested, but she had some tricks to force the transformation along. They weren't pretty and she would suffer afterwards, but that was no one's problem but hers. "Thanks for the extra blood, Paige."

The vampire gave a small grimace. "Didn't do much good, did it, baby girl? I'll ask around about that. Maybe you're building up a resistance. But you haven't come to me for blood in months—"

"Maybe it's the timing?" Finn asked.

While the others started discussing possible reasons why Paige's blood was no longer the panacea it had been, Becky slipped further into the forest, keeping an eye out for adventurous teenagers or off-season hunters. The closest humans she could sense were her friends, so she returned to the cars and grabbed the simple draw-string bag she always took along on her shifts. "Looks good. I'll just. . . ." She ducked behind a tree and started taking off her clothes. All of her friends had seen her naked; it was the nature of the locker room. But the illusion of privacy could matter too, so she undressed quickly and shoved all her things in the bag, pulling its ties firmly shut and tossing it towards her friends. "I'll be as quick as I can."

"If you want someone with you. . . ," Charlotte called out.

Becky's reply was lost in a growl. Paige's blood was making the transformation sluggish, but each reaction also seemed heightened. Her first few screams were human as her body started twisting bones to form its other shape, but then the noises became more and more canine as it progressed. When the shift was complete, she let herself rest on the forest floor for a moment before trotting out to meet her friends. Bayley already had the leash and collar in her hands in case they needed a quick cover, and there wasn't a trace of fear in anyone's gaze or scent. On the contrary, Bayley was practically vibrating with excitement. "Can I? Just quickly?" she asked.

Becky dipped her wolf head in a nod and padded closer, shutting her eyes when Bayley scratched behind her ears. While she was distracted, Finn ducked in and planted a kiss on her nose. "Have a good run," he murmured against her fur.

With a chuff, Becky loped off, starting slowly at first. The long car ride and Paige's blood combined to make her feel clumsy, and it took her a few minutes of lazy exploration to get the feel of her wolf form again. She was just about to head deeper into the trees when she heard bursts of conversations from where her friends stood, each voice more panicked than the last.

_Charlotte, hide!_  
—_Why do I have to hide?_  
_That's Cesaro's car! They're stopping! If they see all of us, they'll wonder where Becky is!_

Becky slowed to a stop to sniff the air. Yes, another vehicle was stopping, but she was too far away to be able to smell who was inside. She edged behind two large trees that were growing into each other and tried to follow what was happening. 

Sasha kept looking into the forest, no doubt trying to spot Becky. Charlotte was crawling into the backseat of Sasha's car, ducking low so she wouldn't be seen. Swearing up a storm, Paige shrugged into the drawstring bag like it was a backpack. A moment later, the new car stopped behind the original two and Becky smelled Cesaro and Seth. "Hey, guys. What are doing out here?" Seth asked. "Car trouble?"

"Nah. Wanted to stretch our legs," Finn replied, casually looking out into the forest as well. "Thought this looked like a place where we wouldn't have to worry about fans asking for pictures. You?"

Cesaro didn't follow the diversion. "Where are Charlotte and Becky? I thought I saw Becky leave with Sasha and Bayley this morning."

"Char and Bex haven't had much time to hang out lately," Sasha replied easily, leaning on the car and letting her elbow 'accidentally' hit the window, clearly a signal to Charlotte to stay still. "So Charlotte called and asked if she could snag Becky on the way. I think they were going on a river walk or something."

"Bayley, why are you holding a collar and leash?" Seth sounded utterly confused.

_Shit_. They hadn't planned for this possibility, and Bayley was the worst on-the-spot liar of the bunch. Sasha would have been able to come up with something plausible on the fly, and Finn would have said something that was utter bullshit, but with such a charming smile that you wouldn't press the matter. Even Paige would have made a bondage joke, turning it around on the asker until they blushed.

"We rented a dog!" Bayley blurted. "There's a place nearby. I saw it online. I missed walking my dog and we had some time to spare, so. . . ."

Cesaro sounded dubious and rightfully so. "Where is it?"

"Oh. Um . . . I let her off-leash because she saw a squirrel and . . . yeah, I should really call her back." Bayley cleared her throat and yelled, "GEORGIE! Georgie, come!"

Becky let out a huff of exasperation and tried to quiet the urge inside her to run, to chase. _Georgie?_ This was clearly another contingency they would have to plan for. Letting out a short yelp of acknowledgement, she came out from her hiding place and loped towards Bayley and the others, staying far away from Seth and Cesaro. Paige instinctively moved up along Becky's other side, stroking her back with just enough pressure that she took it as a sign to stay still. "Isn't she gorgeous? The rental clerk said she must be part wolf, but they don't want to get her checked because they might have to get her put down if she has too much wolf blood."

"She's beautiful." Seth took a slow step forward. He was a huge dog lover as well, so this ruse was doomed to fail. "Can I . . . ?" He held out a hand for the dog to sniff, pushing his bracelets further up his forearm.

Becky forced herself to whine and she ducked behind Paige. "Sorry," Bayley said with a rueful smile. "Better not. She even growled at Finn a bit." Finn gamely edged further away from Becky as Bayley continued. "She's a rescue and the clerk said she has issues with men. She was probably abused."

Paige knelt beside Becky and ruffled her fur. "Smart puppy. She knows girls are better, don't you, Georgie?

"Renting a dog." Cesaro shook his head in wonder. "It makes sense, I suppose. What do you even call a company like that? Part-Time Pooches?"

Bayley shrugged helplessly. "It's just a little local thing. I think they just called it 'Dog for a Day' or something. But I should probably take her for her walk. Finn said we're having a group dinner at a restaurant in a couple hours?"

"Yeah." Seth hadn't stopped looking at Becky since he spotted her, and the urge to wag her tail was ridiculously strong. "We'll leave you to it. Have fun. She looks like she'd be a blast."

Paige placed a kiss on Becky's forehead before standing. "She's a doll. I don't want to take her back. Well, we'll see you at the restaurant. If you see Becky or Charlotte before we do," she added, "let them know they missed out on a total sweetie."

Seth cast Becky's wolf form one last wistful look. "Yeah, Becky would adore her."

"Come on, Seth." Cesaro clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's get going." 

Becky started to press against Bayley's leg, hoping she would catch the hint. "Okay, Georgie! Let's go play!" Bayley took off at a light jog, careful not to trigger Becky's instinct to chase. Sasha followed suit, leaving Paige and Finn. 

"Georgie?" Sasha asked, voice quiet even though Seth and Cesaro were back at the road, getting into their car. "What kind of name is that for a dog?"

"I panicked!" Bayley gave Becky a tentative pat on the back. "Sorry about that."

Part of Becky wanted to turn and snap at Bayley's hand—not for the name or the pathetic cover story or even the touch. Her wolf time had been spoiled now, carved up into unsatisfying chunks, and she would probably have to do a mid-month shift just to feel like herself again. But she just pressed her nose against Bayley's leg and let out a small yip. Her friends were doing their best; she couldn't ask for anything more.

A few minutes after Seth and Cesaro departed, Finn's voice rang out. "All clear!"

"Come on, _Georgie_." Sasha laughed again, looping an arm around Bayley's shoulder. Then they stopped at a small clearing. "Go run. We'll call for you in about twenty minutes."

Just in case Seth and Cesaro happened to double back, Becky followed them down to the cars. Charlotte had reemerged and was brushing dirt from her jeans and Paige and Finn were tossing Becky's bag of clothes back and forth. There was her little pack, gathered for her, waiting for her. Tipping her head back, Becky let out a long howl and bounded back into the forest. Twenty minutes wasn't much of a run, but she would have to have a shower before they went to the restaurant or else she would be driven batty by the lingering scent of her fur. 

The pliancy of the forest floor reminded her a bit of a wrestling ring and she imagined herself evading an imaginary opponent, running here and ducking there, using her speed and her smarts to win rather than just her strength. There were no squirrels nearby to chase, but that was probably a good thing, given her time constraints. Maybe she could book a girls-only weekend with the Horsewomen and use it to sneak in a mid-month run.

It felt like mere seconds had past, but in no time at all, Becky heard her friends calling for her so she trotted back, not fully sated but at least at ease. She likened it to the difference between a fast-food meal and one at a proper restaurant: both were food and would solve your hunger, but one was definitely more enjoyable than the other. When she returned to their gathering spot, Finn was the first to greet her, bag in hand. "Pick a tree," he said, "and I'll start setting your stuff out for you." Draped over his arm was a picnic blanket. "And yes, you have time for a shower."

Coming from her wolf mouth, Becky's laugh sounded more like panting, but Finn seemed to understand her well enough. When she headed for a thick-trunked tree close to the cars, he followed at a polite distance, spreading the blanket out over the heaving roots and setting out her clothing items one by one; when it came to her underwear, he treated it like every other piece that had come out of the bag.

Paige's blood might have made the transition to wolf more difficult, but the change back to human form was almost as easy as sliding out of a bathrobe. The suddenness of it took her by surprise and she flopped to the ground, confused by having to bear her weight on two legs rather than four. "Bex? You okay?" Finn was still standing on the other side of the tree, politely not watching the normally awkward transition process.

"Yeah," she croaked, pushing herself up onto all fours before sitting for a moment to catch her breath. The first few minutes after a transformation were always disorientating, as if her mind hadn't quite shifted gears yet. She put her underwear on quickly, possibly missing a hook on her bra in the process, and pulled her shirt over her head with little problem. Her jeans, though, were proving more of a struggle, making her tip over. "Next time, remind me to bring pyjamas," she groused. "Or a fucking muumuu."

Paige's laugh was like garland in the trees, flowing and bright. "Sexy Bexy in her muumuu!" she called out with a whistle.

As Becky started to fold up the blanket, Finn turned to face her. "Are all vampires like her," he asked, "or is she a one-off?"

"That's zero percent vampire and one hundred percent Paige." After she was sure she hadn't left anything behind at her transformation site, Becky stuffed the blanket into the bag. "Thanks."

"Any time." Finn dug into his pocket and pulled out her fitness tracker. "Seth gave it to me. He figured I would see you first."

Becky's mood dimmed as they made their way to the cars. "Talk to you first, you mean."

Finn pulled her into a hug, pressing their foreheads together. "Bex, this is a sign. It's a sign that you need to make some decisions. If you want any advice from me, I'm happy to give it. But the choices have to come from you."

"I know." Becky soon got hugs from all sides, almost to the point of being overwhelming and resurrecting the wolf, but she managed to smile through it all. "Thanks, everybody. I really appreciate it."

"Come on," Sasha smiled. "You'll want a shower, and we still have to return _Georgie_."

Bayley slumped into the passenger seat. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

Becky just smiled as her friends bickered and teased and debated who was going to ride in which car; they would have to be careful at the hotel, since Seth and Cesaro now believed Becky and Charlotte were off on their own. Each of her friends had their own flaws, things that irritated her both as a woman and a wolf, but for all their foibles, they were the best surrogate pack she could ask for.


	9. Chapter 9

As much as she could hate having to deal her wolf, Becky knew she was stronger when she was at peace with it. Some of the old family lore said their family had been cursed by their tempers; others blamed ambition. In truth, no one really knew how lycanthropy entered their family, but it had been in their veins for generations now. It was part of the reason she was reluctant to have kids and equally part of the reason she got into wrestling. Physical exertion seemed to keep the wolf placated between full moons. Travelling around the world was an incredible bonus. Most werewolves never strayed far from their ancestral territory.

The ring was like her home now, and her less than stellar match against Charlotte the night before had bothered her. Tonight's match would be essentially a repeat, with Asuka thrown into the mix, so she had sat with both women over dinner, talking about the details of their upcoming bout. She could tell Seth kept looking over at her, and not just because Finn eventually hit his arm so hard he yelped. Charlotte typed something out on her phone and casually dropped it in Becky's lap. _Your boy has it BAD._

Becky deleted the line before Asuka could see it and handed the phone back to Charlotte, putting it perilously close to her half-full soup bowl. "Thanks for going over this with me, Asuka. I really appreciate it."

"Of course." Asuka gave her a big smile. "You'll be fine."

After the group supper, she went with the rest of the Four Horsewomen to the arena and practiced a bit with Charlotte backstage. "You're worrying too much, Bex," Charlotte kept saying. "You lapsed. It happens."

It was easy enough for Charlotte to say. She didn't turn into a predatory beast once a month. She didn't have to worry about hurting someone she cared about or being discovered by some random human and being taken into custody, potentially destroying the lives of thousands of other werewolves in the process. "It can't happen," Becky replied. "At all.That's the point. It's not . . . like forgetting to take your birth control pill one day, Char. There aren't any good quick fixes."

"Bex, I didn't mean to make light of it. I'm sorry." Charlotte had been in position to grapple, but she dropped her arms and pulled Becky into a hug. "I know the stakes are high. But it's a good thing Paige is back, right? Her blood helps."

Becky nodded, letting herself stay in the hug longer than she would normally. Since her run had lacked the physical camaraderie of a pack, she was craving touch. "Yeah, but no one really knows the long-term side effects. It wasn't that long ago that vampires and werewolves were trying to kill each other. There are people who would burn Paige for drinking werewolf blood or exile me for using vampire blood."

Charlotte shuddered a bit as she let Becky go. "I'm sorry. That part of your life is just . . . beyond me. But you know I'm always here for you, right? I'll always listen, even if I can't offer any useful advice."

"I know." It all helped: the talking, the practice, even just being away from the others for a little bit. When it was time for their match, Becky strode down to the ring with purpose and kept her energy and focus up until the very end. Asuka was scheduled to win, both to put her on a title trajectory and to put Becky and Charlotte at odds, but the fans were chanting for Becky throughout the match, so at least last night's subpar performance hadn't derailed her completely.

Hunter was waiting for her just beyond the gorilla position with a smile. "Good job, Lynch. That's more like it." He gave her a quick hug and stepped back. "Got your shit together?"

Becky nodded. "Yeah. Like I said, it was just a bunch of stuff all at once. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"If you need me or Steph for anything, just say the word. We believe in you, Lynch, and we want to see how high you can go." Hunter started to walk and motioned for her to follow. "We're thinking of having you feud with Carmella next. We can play off the whole Ellsworth fiasco, _Money in the Bank_, all that. If all goes well, within two months you should be lined up for a title shot."

"Good. Great. Thanks." Becky let out a long breath. "Um, I do have a small favour to ask. I need to make some calls to family, so could I head back to the hotel early or do you need me here?"

Hunter stopped to think for a moment. "RAW's up in the air with all the injuries," he began, "but it should be fine. It'll be easy enough to catch up with you tomorrow. Go ahead."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Becky swept her hair out of her face. Normally she had a quick shower at the arena, but she could wait until she got back to the hotel. "See you tomorrow."

"Have a good night."

Becky hurried to the women's locker room, stripping out of her ring gear and changing into some work-out wear so quickly she almost got her hair caught in her bra hooks. "I have to talk to my family," she said in a rush when Bayley and Sasha entered from their tag team match. Becky was sad that she didn't get to see it, but she wanted to make the call while she still had the courage. "Breakfast tomorrow?"

Sasha nodded, kissing her cheek as she went by. "Sure thing. We'll tell Charlotte when we see her." Then she gave Becky an assessing look. "You're good to get there on your own?"

"Oof. Good point." Becky's driving skills were a running joke in the locker room ever since she had a minor fender bender during a promo shoot. 

"Give us five minutes," Bayley laughed, "and we'll drop you off."

Becky fidgeted the whole time she was waiting, but at least she didn't have to worry about avoiding Seth in the women's locker room. It was a quick drive, though, and Becky was practically bouncing from foot to foot while she waited for the elevator. Once she was in her suite, she shed her clothes on the way to the bathroom and jumped in the shower without even waiting for the water to warm up. It wasn't the most relaxing shower she'd ever had, but it did the job and the hotel's bathrobes were wonderfully cozy. On her way back through her suite, she set her bag where she wouldn't trip over it and gathered up her clothes, dumping them on a thin-legged desk chair.

Scrolling through her contact list on her phone, she tapped the one labelled 'Dr. Sullivan'. Her family's regular numbers were all sorted by their names, but this number was specific to the pack; she figured that anyone who stole her phone wouldn't be likely to care about her doctor appointments. Whoever answered the main pack line would patch her call through to any pack member she chose, securing the line in the process. "Hi," she said when the line opened up. "This is Rebecca."

"Hello, Rebecca. Code, please?" Even though most of her pack had barely left Ireland, let alone the British Isles, they all had passwords for security reasons.

Becky rattled off the series of numbers and letters she had forced herself to memorize. "Is my mom available?"

Now that Becky had been verified, the operator was far friendlier. "Ah, sorry, love. Your brother took her down to Cork for a few days. I can ring them if you like—"

"No, no." Becky didn't want to ruin her mother and brother's time together. "What about Nan?" Lycanthropy didn't guarantee a long life; on the contrary, most werewolves seemed to die before they reached seventy. But Becky's maternal grandmother was still alive and very much kicking.

"Let me check." The operator went silent for a few moments. "Yes, Catriona's available. I'll patch you through."

"Thanks." Becky concentrated on keeping her breathing even while she waited to hear her grandmother's voice. She didn't want her to worry, especially not so close to the full moon. Shifting got more difficult as werewolves aged, so she was surprised Catriona wasn't napping. 

"Rebecca?" Catriona's reedy voice boomed across the line, and Becky had to smile. If certain WWE executives thought her accent was difficult to understand, they should try discussing football with her grandmother and see how much they understood. "My wayward girl!"

"Hi, Nan. I'm not taking you away from anything, am I?" Becky settled back against the bed's headboard and wiggled her toes. 

"No, no. And besides, you hardly ever call, so it must be important." Only Catriona could fit chastisement, worry, and curiosity into such an unassuming voice. "What is it, my love?"

Becky paused for a moment. She could try to explain the matter first to give her grandmother some context. She could wrap the question up in enough hesitation that it would get lost. Or she could just be forthright and honest and let Catriona ask or say what she needed to. "I want to tell someone I'm a werewolf," she said. 

"I see." Catriona's voice went more formal, but it didn't lose its warmth. "Someone _who_?"

"Seth Rollins." And then Becky's resolve started to crumble. "Well, you would know him as Seth Rollins. His real name is Colby Lopez."

"I see," Catriona repeated, this time with a teasing note. "And why does this Colby-Seth need to know? Why does he deserve to know?"

Becky looked mutely at the phone in her hands. What was there to say? Her grandmother wouldn't berate her for casual sex; in werewolf culture, that was practically the norm until you chose a mate you wanted to have children with. "Well, we've been dating on and off—"

"Fucking, dear. Be honest. You're fucking." Catriona burst out into a hearty chuckle. "Wait. Which one is your Seth? Is he the tall one with the stars on his shoulders and the chest piece or the one with those little tattoos on his spine?" Though she had none herself, Catriona was fascinated by tattoos and it was one of the ways she differentiated the wrestlers.

"The spine." Becky thought the other one Catriona had mentioned might be Baron Corbin, but she wasn't sure.

"Well, that's all right then." After a moment of contemplative silence, Catriona added, "So why are you asking? You didn't ask if you could tell Finn or Paige or your girls."

"I had to tell Finn," Becky countered. "I almost bit him; he deserved to know. And Paige sussed me out before I sensed her, so I didn't have much choice. And the Four—I don't know. I just thought I was spending so much time with them that it was bound to come up, and I didn't want to keep putting it off."

Catriona laughed softly. "That doesn't answer my question, love. Why are you asking for permission? You clearly have a record of telling people without it, so what's different this time?"

Was she looking for acceptance? Confirmation? Or was it on the other side of the spectrum, secretly hoping her request would be denied so it would be out of her hands? "Because I need advice, Nan. Because . . . because he's more to me than just sex, and it's not fair to expect him to make a decision if he doesn't know."

"Then I think you answered your own question, love." Catriona's voice was like an embrace and Becky let herself sink into it for a moment before really processing the words.

"But . . . Paige can take care of herself, obviously." Becky's rebuttal died before it ever really started. Finn, Bayley, Charlotte, Sasha: they were all wonderfully, insufferably human. Her secret put them all at risk, and yet she had shared it with each and every one of them.

"Ask yourself which will hurt him more: knowing or not knowing. My love, it is a hard decision, there's no doubt, but it's not so dire as all that. Werewolves didn't survive this long without humans discovering us." Catriona's chuckle was tinged with bitterness. "Some had to be persuaded not to reveal what they knew. Others . . . required a sharper edge. But I doubt your boy would be one of them. If it goes pear-shaped, it's not the end of the world; we'll take care of it. Hopefully it never comes to that. The big question is this: do you think you can trust him?"

Becky thought for a long moment. She trusted Seth in a lot of ways: in bed, in the ring, as a friend. This was another level completely. "I want to," she said at last. It wasn't quite the same thing and she fully expected Catriona to call her out on it.

"If it's what you want, you have my blessing, as much as that means anything." Then Catriona laughed and picturing her wicked smile made Becky grin in turn. "But that means I fully expect you to bring this boy home so I can see if he's worthy, so you better be sure. I can't have some American dope breaking my girl's heart."

"Thanks, Nan. So, how's things?" Becky let herself get lost for a few moments in family updates, both human and pack. Though she kept her full-moon mishap to herself, she told Catriona about her upcoming title shot hopes and some of the funny things her friends had done on the road. Once her heart was settled, soothed by her grandmother's familiar voice and raunchy humour, Becky got to her feet. "All right, Nan. I should get going. Love you."

"Let us know how it goes, my girl. We're all with you. Love you back."

Becky disconnected and then opened her messenger. It wasn't hard to find Seth's number; he was always within her top five most recent conversations, even when they were in their off-again phases. _Let me know when you have time to talk?_ Ending it with a question mark made it look wishy-washy, but Becky didn't want to sound ominous either.

The phone beeped before she could even close the app. _I'm free now. Are you at the hotel?_

_Yeah. In my suite,_ Becky replied, getting up off the bed. The room was still messy, but Seth wouldn't care. There was no couch in this suite, though, so sitting options were limited. She was about to text back and suggest meeting downstairs when there was a knock on her door.

Looking through the peephole, she could see that Seth still had his phone in his hand, ready to text at a moment's notice. "Hey." He gave her a soft smile when she let him in, and he made no move to even hug her, let alone do anything more. 

It made a quick pang of guilt stab through Becky's guts, but she had to give him credit for respecting her space. "Hey. There's nowhere to sit, I just realized, so if you just give me a minute to get dressed. . . ." She pointed to her discarded clothes. "Or if you want the chair. . . ."

"I'm fine on the floor. Or wherever. I just want to talk." Holding her gaze, he lowered himself to the floor, leaning against the wall and patting the spot beside him.

"Okay." Becky slowly sat beside him, mindful that she was wearing only the bathrobe. It wasn't like he hadn't seen every inch of her on multiple occasions, but she didn't want to be distracted away from the main conversation. "I guess I should start by apologizing for last night. The night before, I mean. Ugh." She let her head thud back against the wall. "I'm already messing this up."

"You're not." Seth nudged her shoulder with his and she looked down to see his hand extended and open on his thigh. Even without knowing about her nature, he knew that a small touch could help her focus. "And you have nothing to apologize for. I wanted it. I wanted every second of it and I told you that."

The fervor in his voice made Becky's toes curl. "I hurt you," she said simply, letting her fingertips skim over his bruised wrist before resting her palm lightly on top of his. "And I could have done far worse, and that scares me."

"You wouldn't. I trust you." Seth's voice was low and comforting, and Becky had to fight against it. It would be so easy to make up some simple lie and kiss the confrontation away until they found their way up to her bed. But that would solve nothing; today's problem would simply become tomorrow's. "And it's not exactly like I'm a weakling, you know." He kept the teasing in his voice to a minimum. "If you were doing something I didn't want, I would let you know."

"Would you?" It came out sharper than Becky had intended, but she needed to know. If she couldn't trust Seth to maintain the limits—his, hers, theirs—when she wasn't able to, it could never work. "I'm serious, Seth. I need to know that you'll—" Doubt and fear clogged her throat, making her bow her head.

"Yeah, of course I would. Bex, what's really going on?" Seth edged a bit closer and curled his hand around hers. "What's wrong? What did Hunter want?"

Becky almost laughed at the mention of their boss. At the moment, the WWE brass was the least of her worries. "Hunter? That was something else entirely. Just another piece on the pile, you know?"

Seth didn't look entirely convinced, but he didn't press the point. He just gave Becky's hand another squeeze before loosening his fingers, giving her space to move if she wanted. "Okay. So what do you want to talk about?"

Where to start? She could mention the conversation with Roman, but it wasn't right to implicate him; he had come to her as a friend and she had to respect that. "Well, first. . . ." She stopped and cringed. That implied she had a laundry list of issues to discuss. "I don't you to ever feel like you have to . . . wait for me. Or make yourself available. If there's someone you want to date, don't worry about me."

Seth's mouth twitched with bittersweet laughter. "Roman talked to you, didn't I? I figured so. Cesaro was a little too enthusiastic about going for coffee." Shutting his eyes, he shook his head. "What did he say?"

"Don't be upset with him," Becky pleaded. Now she was the one squeezing fingers and scooting closer. "He came to me as a friend—yours _and_ mine."

"I know. I'm not mad." Seth rolled his head to the side and met her gaze for the first time since entering her suite. "So what did he say?"

Becky glanced up at the light fixture. She had been in such a rush when she arrived that she hadn't bothered to turn any lights on, and darkness was starting to fall. Seth didn't seem to mind, though, so she didn't get up. "He worried that you were missing out on good potential long-term relationships because of me. Us." She couldn’t remember if that was the first time she had ever referred to them as _us_ out loud, but it sounded right, settling around her shoulders like a warm blanket.

Seth shook his head. "I'm not missing out on anything," he insisted. "Not when I'm with you."

It wasn't the best segue, but it would do. "Okay, but when we're together, do you want . . . us to be more? More like what you had with your fiancée, or. . . ." Becky bit into her lower lip, cursing herself. She sounded so stupid, like some naïve love note passed around by children.

"Can I be honest?" Seth asked softly, threading his fingers with Becky's and rocking their joined hands back and forth on his knee.

"Always. Please." Maybe she would be spared. Maybe Seth would say Roman was wrong, that he just liked the sex and the goofing around and he didn't want anything more. Then they could just have sex and hang out and nothing would need to change. She would keep better track of the moon and there would never be another repeat of that night.

"Yes." The weight of that single word drew her around to face him unbidden, almost as instinctual as her wolf. "I thought I was hiding it pretty well, but leave it to Roman to figure it out." Seth gave a wry laugh and dropped his head. "Yeah, I've wanted that for a while, but it didn't seem like it was on your radar so I . . . I resigned myself to enjoying the time you let me have. Fuck, that sounds horrible, doesn't it?"

Becky had to turn away to blink back tears. All those years she could have been cultivating something solid, something real, and she had wasted them on dating people who weren't wrestlers just so she wouldn't have to think about not being with Seth. "No. No, it doesn't. I think I know what you meant." She raised their joined hands to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. "I'm pretty oblivious when it comes to relationships. Sorry about that."

Seth chuckled as he leaned his head against hers. "Well, I'll let you apologize for that." Kissing the curve of her ear, he added, "So is that the first point covered?"

"First?" Becky was scrambling to arrange her thoughts. They had covered the rough sex and the relationship angle, more or less, though there would always be details to be discussed. That just left the whole werewolf issue. "Yeah. basically, I guess. We should probably tell Hunter if we're going to be dating." Then she paused. "If we are. I don't want to assume. . . ."

"We can tell him tomorrow." Seth let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to his chest. "And I'm fine with calling it _dating_ if you are."

It would be so easy to agree, but Becky knew she'd just be placed in the same quandary over and over. "Before you decide that," she began hesitantly, letting her head rest against his shoulder, "there's something you need to know, in all fairness. Something serious and something very private. If it changes your mind . . . well, that's your right and I understand, but I need your word that you won't tell anyone else."

"No one," Seth promised. "You can tell me anything, any time. No matter what happens with us."

"I'm not joking around, Seth. This is . . . big. And secret. If I tell you, I won't have to explain why it's so important to _keep_ it secret. So you need to decide if you really want to know, or if you're happy with the status quo." Becky's fingers itched to play with his beard or his collar, but she forced her hand flat against his chest. This close, all the sounds of his body made a subtle symphony and it almost lulled her to sleep.

"Bex, it can't be that bad. I don't care if you have a kid or if you've been married or any of that." Kissing her cheek, he laughed and added, "I won't even mind if your name's not actually Rebecca."

His list made her think of the conversation with Roman and she smiled. "No kids, no marriages, no dead bodies in my wake. It . . . might be hard to believe at first, but I can prove it. And Paige and some others will back me up."

A hint of hurt darkened Seth's eyes. "How long has Paige known? And Charlotte and Bayley and Sasha too, I'm guessing?"

Becky nodded. "Finn too. Finn learned first, only because I've known him so long. Paige is a story all her own, and I would need her permission to tell her part of it. And I told the Four out of necessity. I wanted to tell you," she added, "but I didn't want to scare you off."

"I'd say you couldn't ever scare me, Rebecca Quin." Seth's quiet earnestness made Becky's heart swell. "But I'm scared of losing you. Every time I leave your bed or you leave mine, I worry that it's the last. But I don't think that's the type of scare you're talking about."

"It's not." Becky moved back, turning to face him head on. Seth's gaze always gave him away, so she wanted to see his eyes when she made her confession. "I'm a werewolf."


	10. Chapter 10

If Becky had been filming Seth's reactions, she would have been able to make a complete emoji set out of his expressions. To be fair, she couldn’t really blame him. Had she grown up human and someone told her they were a werewolf, she would probably assume it was a joke. To Seth's credit, he didn't immediately say it was crazy, but the expression settling on his face was definitely along the lines of confused disbelief.

"I know it sounds crazy," Becky added with a sigh, "but just think. If I were going to concoct some lie, what good could this story possibly do me?" She tried thinking back to how she had revealed her secret to Finn or even to Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha, but her brain was too scattered to sift through memories. Figuring out how to proceed with Seth was taking all her focus. "And like I said Paige and the others will verify it. Sure, I could have asked them to all tell the same story, but. . . ." She laughed nervously as she shook her head. "Trust me, I've told enough lies in my time and I know which ones will work. And _I'm a werewolf_ isn't one of them."

"A werewolf." Seth still had his arm around her shoulder and his fingers were toying with the lapel of her bathrobe, almost subconsciously. "Bex, really, I—"

Becky sat up and squared her shoulders, pushing up the left sleeve of the bathrobe. "We just had a full moon. All werewolves have to shift on the full moon night. But born ones—like me—can make themselves shift at will whenever they want." She stretched her bared left arm out in front of him. "Go on. Feel it. Poke it. Whatever you need to do to assure yourself it's just a regular human arm: no holograms, no tech, nothing."

"Bex, I've felt your arms often enough. . . ." But Seth played along, turning her forearm gently in his hands and pressing at certain key points. "It's . . . your arm," he said at last, letting his hands drop away.

_That might be the last time he ever touches me._ The disheartening thought lanced Becky's resolve for a moment, making her cradle her left arm against her body. But then she thought of Roman's concern, of Finn's advice and Catriona's gentle chiding. It would never get any easier; there would be no perfect time. She couldn't unsay _werewolf_ now. Dropping her gaze, she said, "Now watch."

After all the strain of her shortened run and having too much of Paige's blood, the forced shift was more difficult than it should have been, but after spending a few moments clearing her mind, she felt the change take root. Her fingers curled and shortened as her palm widened into a paw. Fur rippled up from her hand, covering her forearm in dark auburn fur. Once she started to shift it was difficult to stop, but she held it there, leaving her elbow definitively human. 

Seth's eyes went impossibly wide when she gently placed the paw—so recently a hand—on his knee. "You. You—how?" Just as he had in the trees when he thought he saw a dog, he instinctively reached forward but stopped himself when he saw the impressive claws on the end of the paw. "I—can I?"

Becky nodded silently. Maintaining the partial shift was taking more of her concentration than she liked, so she shut her eyes and focused on her breathing while Seth gently examined her paw. Most werewolves in wolf form avoided humans, so being touched by a hand rather than a muzzle always felt a bit odd. "Careful," she managed to say when Seth pressed his palm flat against her paw pads, exposing her claws even more.

"Georgie," Seth whispered, so softly Becky wouldn't have heard it if she were human. He ran a fingertip over the top of one of her claws before reluctantly letting go of her paw. It was only when her paw was on her lap that she trusted herself to open her eyes, and then she saw Seth looking at her with a dazed wonderment. "When Paige and Finn and Bayley and Sasha were in that forest and Bayley said. . . ." Tipping his head back, he laughed incredulously. "Bayley said she rented a dog. And I thought it was weird that you and Charlotte weren't there, because you would have loved that dog, but . . . that was you, right?"

"Yeah." Becky held up her half-shifted arm. "Do you mind if I shift back? It's hard to concentrate on talking with. . . ."

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Seth watched the process again, in reverse this time, but with more amazement than bewilderment. "That is . . . wild." After Becky shook out her hand, getting reacquainted with the reality of fingers, Seth grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

"Well, Georgie isn't the name I would have chosen, but you know." It was a weak quip, but they both laughed. "But yeah, I have to shift on the full moon and I normally track the phases on my phone, but time got away from me, so. . . ."

"You were a beautiful wolf." Seth curled both his hands around hers, tracing the contours of her fingers and knuckles. "Is that . . . improper or anything? To talk about your wolf form?"

Becky rested her head on his shoulder. The partial transformation hadn't taken too much of her energy, but she felt weak with relief. She still wasn't sure if Seth was truly and fully processing what he had just seen, but at least he wasn't screaming or calling her a demon. "Well, you can't say anything to people who don't know, obviously, but otherwise it's up to each person, really. I don't mind it so much; Bayley can be a bit of a goof, but I know she means well. It's . . . rude to pet a shifted wolf without getting their permission beforehand, and beyond that it's just not wise."

"Understandable." Seth leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You said you were born. . . ?"

"Yeah. There's born and made. Aside from a few perks like the partial shift, there's not much difference. It's actually kind of why I got into wrestling," Becky admitted. "The physical activity is pretty much like wolves playing: tumbling around, vying for dominance, all that. It helps keep my energy in check."

Seth nodded slowly. "So the other night, when you just flipped me over like it was nothing, that was a wolf thing?"

Becky grimaced. She didn't want Seth to get the wrong idea, but she also wasn't sure just how much she should divulge. There was still a lot about her nature that even Paige didn't know. "My control was waning, yeah. I have to be careful around the full moon, so I usually start modifying my diet and my sleep a few days before. We travel so much that it can be hard, but the phone app helps and Paige can normally catch on if I'm slipping, but she was busy with her business so it was really just sloppiness all around. I won't do it again. I won't hurt you again, I promise."

"Are we back on that again?" Seth pulled her against his chest and rested his chin against her head. "You didn't hurt me, Bex. I'm fine. Say the word and I'd gladly do it all over again."

Acutely aware that she was wearing only the bathrobe, Becky kept her hands resolutely on Seth's chest. "Okay, okay." She still wasn't sure, but there were other issues to deal with. "Yeah. So that's that. If you want to rethink that whole dating thing, I'll understand." She tried to cap it off with a sardonic laugh, but it fell flat. 

"I don't know. I think werewolf in-laws could be pretty neat." Seth had been aiming for levity too, but she could feel the deepening beat of his heart and knew how far his words went. "Family gatherings must be . . . intense."

Becky chuckled, allowing herself a small smile. "That has nothing to do with us being werewolves, Seth. That's just because we're Irish." She settled in against him and finally let herself reach up to stroke his beard. "You must have questions. I can't answer everything," she added quickly, "and I can only answer for myself, but I'll be as honest as I can be."

"Wow. Huh." With the field wide open, Seth seemed overwhelmed by the possibilities. "Well, you said you have to shift on the full moon. Is that the only time you're . . . forced to?"

"Yeah. I can technically shift whenever I please, like I just did, but it takes its toll. When I was off injured," Becky added, "I was shifting a lot and doing mini-runs just to keep myself sane."

Seth sat up a little straighter. "Is it harder without a pack? Or is that a . . . natural wolf thing?"

"No, we have packs too. Mostly family units, until you get old enough to . . . make your own way." _Find a mate_ sounded horribly awkward. "Sometimes exiles will band together and make their own pack. Bayley and Charlotte and Sasha are like my pack, I guess. They watch out for me when I'm shifting and stuff." She could practically see the question dawning in Seth's eyes, and she laughed. "Charlotte was there. She hid in one of the cars because they didn't figure you would buy that everyone _but_ me would be there."

"Makes sense. So. . . ." Seth smoothed some hair away from her face and toyed with a long curl. "Are there any other non-human species I should know about? Any in the WWE?"

"I've always suspected Alexa might have pixie blood. . . ," Becky began, keeping her tone playful. She wouldn't out Paige, and she had suspicions about a few other wrestlers perhaps having traces of non-human blood, but it wasn't her place to say. "There's lots of beings, really, but most of them avoid humans when they can help it."

Seth looked like he wanted to pursue that further, but he took a different path instead. "When's the next full moon?" he asked. 

"They're usually about thirty days apart." Becky placed a hand against the wall when Seth moved suddenly, reaching into his jeans pocket. "What are you doing?"

Seth held up his phone, then entered his lock code and swiped past some missed messages. "What's the name of that app you use?" he asked. "Two heads are better than one, right? If we're both keeping track, you're less likely to miss it again."

Becky grabbed his face in both hands and gave him a kiss that left them both breathless. She wasn't sure how she would have reacted to such a revelation, but she doubted she would be taking it as well as he was. "Thank you. I use a private one, but I can call the developer and see if she'll let you use it."

"Good." Seth set his phone aside and pulled Becky into another kiss, this one slower and softer. "The next time you shift," he murmured against her mouth, "can I be there?"

"Yeah. If you want." Becky could feel her resolve melting away, her muscles getting pliant. Sex after a shift could be utterly glorious, when energy levels were still high and wild. As the kiss deepened, Seth pulled her onto his lap, pushing the robe up her thighs. "Seth, we—"

"Is it still too close to the full moon for you to have sex?" Seth asked, kissing his way down her neck. "I don't want you to start the whole _I hurt you_ thing over again."

Hurting him was a legitimate concern and always would be, but now that he knew, Becky felt a bit safer. "Nothing rough," she insisted. "I should be okay, but—"

Seth cut her off with a kiss, lifting her as he stood. "Understood." Then he loosened the sash on her bathrobe before setting her down on the bed. "You said wrestling helps keep you in check, and sex is a lot like wrestling, so. . . ."

"Did I say that?" When Seth started kissing her thigh, Becky moaned, arching back against the bed. Post-shift sex was high on her list but she had been abstaining for years since she was always worried about losing control.

"You did," Seth confirmed, spreading her legs further apart. "Something about tumbling around, I think, and what was the other thing. . . ?" He slid his arms under her thighs and gripped her hips. "Oh, right. _Vying for dominance._"

He teased her with kisses and touches for what felt like hours before he finally put his tongue in the perfect place, and Becky almost climaxed instantly. She managed to clamp one hand over her mouth before she screamed, but her hips were arching hard enough that Seth was struggling to keep her in place. Then she slid both hands into his hair, urging him closer. Hopefully the hotel had good soundproofing; if not, well, the whole locker room would know the two of them had reconciled. "Seth, _please._."

"No." Seth moved back just enough to pull his shirt over his head and toss it aside.

"No?" The first notes of the orgasm were making Becky's whole body shake.

"Not yet. I have to be gentle, you know." Seth straddled her on the bed, pushing the edges of the robe aside so he could see more of her. "Because my beautiful, incredible, sexy werewolf girlfriend—" Each compliment was followed by a deep kiss, a gentle stroke of his hand. "She's worried about losing control, you see. So I promised I'd be careful."

Becky could feel the wave of her orgasm starting to recede and she reached for the waistband of his pants, but he intercepted her hands. "_Careful_ is a really vague term," she said, rising up just enough to kiss his chest. "I mean, I'm sure she just meant—"

"Shhh." Seth silenced her with another long kiss. "I have to concentrate on being careful."

And he was. He was deliciously, agonizingly careful, bringing her to the brink twice more before he tugged his pants off and pulled the now-rumpled robe out from under Becky. "Thank you," he murmured against her shoulder as he was just about to enter her, "for trusting me."

"Seth—" Being cautious was one thing. If he waited much longer, it was Becky's human side that was going to explode, not her wolf.

"I love you." He eased inside her as he said it, and they were both surprised that she didn't dissolve on the spot. She managed to last a few more moments before she came with a scream that wasn't entirely unlike a howl, and as she enjoyed that wonderful burst of energy, she held Seth close so she could feel his too, wrapping her legs around his waist.

By the time Seth finally let her go, Becky was too exhausted to keep her eyes open, let alone shift. "That . . . was definitely better than wrestling off the energy." She rested her head on Seth's chest when he settled beside her. 

Seth's chuckle reverberated through them both. "We don't need a schedule for it either."


	11. Chapter 11

Becky was still in a sated daze when she woke up, so her brain was slow to interpret the sound that roused her. It couldn't be the full moon alarm, and it didn't sound like any of the custom ringtones she had set for friends. "Leave it," Seth murmured, reaching for her and grasping her thigh. 

"Just let me check—" She gasped sharply when Seth's fingers worked their way between her legs and she shoved his hand away as she grabbed her phone. "It's from Ireland. I should get it." Pressing the talk button, she tossed her hair behind her shoulders as she sat up. "Hello?"

"Hello, my love. It's your nan. I forgot to check the time before I called. Did I wake you?" Catriona could sound like a darling old grandmother quite well when she wanted to, or she could be a fierce matriarch. It made her one of Becky's first idols.

"It's a bit early, Nan, but that's all right." Becky hugged a pillow to her bare chest before settling back against the headboard. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know me. Just checking up on my favourite girl." Catriona chuckled. "So have you told your boy yet?" 

Becky glanced down at Seth and found him watching her intently, his dark eyes shining with happiness. "Yeah. I told him last night."

"Well, that explains why your voice is all soft and stretched out like taffy." Catriona laughed again and then asked, "Is he there? He must be. Anyone who would leave your bed before morning is a fool."

"Nan!" Becky started to ease off the bed, but Seth caught her arm and shook his head. After one failed effort that sent him sprawling face-first into his pillow, he sat up beside her. Holding the phone against the bed to muffle what Catriona could hear, she pressed close to Seth's ear and whispered. "Your funeral. If you think I'm savage, I'm a pup when it comes to her."

Seth just smiled and made the _bring it_ gesture with his free hand; the other was resting casually on Becky's thigh. "Hello, ma'am," he said politely as Becky brought the phone back into speaking range. "How are you?"

"I'm well. And you must be too, so there's no point in you answering. Seth, is it?" Catriona's voice wasn't clipped, but it was clear she wasn't going to be suffering any foolishness.

"That's my wrestling name. My real name is Colby." Seth pressed his lips to Becky's shoulder and she was glad she hadn't automatically made it a video call, as she tended to do with her family members.

"Well, I only know you from the TV, so it's Seth you'll be until you come to my house," Catriona declared. "You can call me Cait."

Becky widened her eyes comically and gave him a thumbs up. Her grandmother usually insisted on her full name. It might have just been that Seth wasn't Irish and Catriona didn't want him to mess up the pronunciation, but Becky chose to take it as a positive sign. "Can I put you on speaker, Nan?"

"Oh, I suppose. You know how I hate that. Sounds like a goddamn fishbowl." Catriona cleared her throat. "So, Seth, our girl told you about her nature, I trust?"

Seth glanced over at Becky for guidance, but she just shrugged. Introducing anyone new to Catriona was always a gamble. "Uh, yes. It's nice to speak with you," he said. "Becky's always talking about her fam—"

"Save it, lad. That's tea-and-cookie talk. I want to know what your intentions with my girl are," Catriona insisted, voice going flinty. "And I already know about the sex, so you can skip that."

Becky stifled her chuckle with her free hand, angling the phone towards Seth. "Nan, in all fairness, I just told him last night. It's a lot to digest, and we still have a lot to talk about."

"I don't know what will happen with us," Seth said, opting for honesty. He held Becky's gaze as he spoke, squeezing her leg tenderly. "We've been together off and on for a long time, and friends for even longer. I'm hoping that continues. But whatever happens, I promise I will never reveal her secret."

"You'd best not," Catriona replied, "if you want a waist to put those fancy belts around. Why do they make them so big anyway? It's like wearing a goddamn serving platter!"

It was Seth's turn to chuckle softly, and Becky quickly covered his mouth. When he gave her a look of surprise, she removed her hand and pointed to her ear, hoping he would get the hint about her grandmother's heightened hearing. "It's all for effect, Nan."

"But they keep getting bigger, Rebecca! Years ago, they were halfway reasonable. But at this rate, they might as well strap a shield to your waist!" Catriona huffed out a breath. "Now, has he seen you shift?"

Becky bit into her lip. She hadn't really covered that with her grandmother, but she didn't think she would get in trouble either. "Only a partial shift, but yes. I transformed my forearm to give him proof. But he's asked if he could come with me the next time I shift," she added, hoping it might win him some bravery points.

Catriona gave a snort which could be loosely interpreted as satisfied, if not wholly impressed. "It's a start," she allowed. "But I'll be having no dog jokes about my girl, you understand? No plays on the word _bitch_. And none of that 'time of the month' bullshit either."

Meeting Seth's gaze, Becky gave her head a gentle shake. Her grandmother's sensitivity to certain things hadn't been passed down to her generation, and those were conversations for her and Seth to have on their own terms. "Of course not," Seth said simply. "Becky said there would be limits to follow and I respect that."

"Good." Catriona seemed a bit stymied by Seth's easy-going nature. "And Rebecca, you told him about the full moon?"

"I did. He even asked if he could get the app I use to track the moon phases, so I'll have to talk to Kaya about that." Becky smiled over at Seth. Taking the initiative should earn him some more points in Catriona's good books. 

Catriona sounded almost impressed. "Hm. Not a bad idea, that. Does your Paige have it?"

"Yeah." Becky scrambled for a way to change the conversation tide quickly. Catriona might have assumed that revealing the truth about werewolves would have included a mention of vampires, and thus Paige's true nature. "But Nan, we should be going. We have to be on the road by nine, and we still have to shower and eat. You know how it is."

"You want to have sex again, you mean." Her indelicate snort almost shook the phone. "Fine, fine. We'll talk later, my girl. And you, Seth, you better keep your word. Our Rebecca might not have her family pack over there," she declared, "but that doesn't mean she's without allies."

"I don't doubt it," Seth replied with a smile. "But she doesn't have to worry about keeping me in line. I won't tell anyone anything."

With the immediate bases covered, Catriona could only sigh. "Well, I'll leave you to it then. Just remember: sex _before_ the shower, or else Rebecca will be smelling hormones all day long." That served as Catriona's farewell, because she disconnected before Becky could reply.

Becky and Seth shared an incredulous look for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Yeah, so, that's my nan." Becky fought to catch her breath as she put her phone back in its charger. "She's . . . very direct, my nan."

"Must run in the family." Seth barely waited until Becky had turned back to pull her on top of him. "I'll have to get used to her accent," he began, running his hands up and down her thighs, "but I'm pretty sure she said we should have sex before we showered, and I'd hate to disobey your grandmother. I mean, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. . . ." He gave Becky a knowing wink as he tossed his hair behind his shoulders.

Becky laughed, but it didn't stop her from easing forward, just shy of Seth's hips. "I'm pretty sure that was more advice than an order," she teased, "but I like your interpretation better."

"What a coincidence. So do I." Seth wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. The kiss started out gently enough, but when Becky's teeth grazed his lower lip, he pulled back just enough to speak. "Are we still in not-rough mode," he asked, "or are teeth back in play?"

In reply, she dipped her head and sank her teeth into his shoulder just hard enough to make him hiss. "Nothing harder than that and we should be fine."

Seth's throaty chuckle made her thighs tighten around him. "I can live with that. Out of curiosity, just how long on either side of the full moon do you have to be . . . careful?"

Becky reached down between them and started stroking him, grinning at how quickly his breath went ragged. "Only a day or two. Everything else is open."

"_Careful_ has its own charms." And Seth made sure they explored several of their options until both their alarms went off, bringing them back to the very human world.


	12. Chapter 12

Even though she could change at will, Becky liked to have some time between her shifts. While wrestling helped her control and contain the wolf, it also took its own toll on her body, and she definitely didn't want to try explaining a wolf-related injury to her bosses. Seth still wanted to witness her transformation, though, so she chose a date about halfway between full moons, on a weekend when neither of them was scheduled to appear until Monday Night Raw. The weather had taken a sharp turn to near-winter conditions, unfortunately, which meant she would have to take along a warmer jacket if she didn't want to stand out.

"You don't mind if Finn and some of the girls are there, right?" Becky asked for what felt like the hundredth time. "It's nothing against you. It's just—"

"Just that if you lose control," Seth recited, having heard her worries also about a hundred times, "Paige can restrain you and Finn can help and Bayley . . . just really likes playing with your ears, I guess?" Paige had told him she was a vampire, and it would take him a while to learn what that all entailed. He still wasn't entirely clear on how Bayley factored into the back-up situation, but he wasn't going to complain. Charlotte and Sasha were scheduled to compete, so they wouldn't be there, but both had given him plenty of tips, starting with _If you even try to expose her secret, we will ruin you._

"Yeah, pretty much. She's a calming influence too, though that might be hard to believe." Becky always thought Bayley had boundless puppy energy. Paige, Finn, and Bayley were in the first vehicle, heading to one of Becky's favourite spots to transform. It was in a nature preserve, so hunting was strictly prohibited, and the park was large enough that she had yet to run into another human on any of her runs. She and Seth were following them closely, and she was struck by how normal it felt. Just five friends hanging out on the weekend.

It just so happened that one of those friends was about to turn into a wolf. By choice.

Becky had never minded shifting on the full moon. It could be inconvenient at times, but it was a part of her family life, as routine as Sunday suppers at Nan's. When she was younger and not quite ready to go through the change herself, she watched with a mixture of wonder and envy as her older family members slipped from human to wolf. Now she would be shifting on her own terms; after all the drama surrounding her last full moon, it would be nice not to be rushed. "If you change your mind," she said slowly, "it's okay. I understand. It's normal to me, but I get how weird it must be to someone else."

Seth just shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "If anyone's changing their mind, it'll be you. I know what I want." He turned to glance over at her as he said the last and it made her heart skip a beat. "If you don't want me out there, just say the word. I don't want to make you feel anxious or anything."

"I know. We should set some ground rules, though. Like I'd rather you not watch the actual change. I know you've seen . . . well, everything," she laughed, gesturing at her body, "but the actual transformation can be . . . unsettling."

"I respect that." Seth fell quiet for a moment, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel. "But in time, depending on how serious we get, are you open to reconsidering that? It's part of you, Becky, for better or worse."

Becky gazed absently through the window. Seth hadn't come right out and said words like _engaged_ or _married_, but the groundwork was there. "Depending on how serious we get," she echoed, "we can talk about it again."

Seth reached over and squeezed her hand. "That's fair. What else do I need to know?"

"You shouldn't approach me right after I shift," Becky continued, glancing over at him. "Paige or Finn or Bayley can do that safely only because they've been with me on so many shifts. I recognize their scents." She grimaced for a moment. In human terms, talking about smells was rarely pleasant. "As a wolf, I'll need to get used to your scent. Stay a little bit away from me at first , and let me approach you."

"Sort of like when you meet a new dog for the first time." Seth made a _yikes_ face so quickly that Becky almost choked on her laughter. "Shit. Sorry. I know you're not a pet."

"It's okay," Becky said warmly, leaning over the console to kiss his cheek. "I know what you meant. It's usually best to let an animal approach you rather than the other way around."

"And petting?" Seth blushed again. "Not . . . you know. But . . . like, your fur. . . ?"

Becky let him stammer for a few moments before coming to his rescue. "Not right away. Like I said, let me approach you. Sometimes my wolf isn't comfortable with people I know as I human, and there's no particular reason."

She could only see half of Seth's face, but she recognized the slow, wicked grin all too well. "So that means I can't chase you?"

"No. Not yet. I don't even think I'd trust Finn to chase me, and he's known me since I was fifteen. Paige is okay because I know she can hold her own against me." Becky paused for a moment to laugh. How many incredible matches had she had against Paige simply because they didn't have to worry about their other natures hurting their opponent? It was a freedom they had only with each other, and it was evident in their in-ring chemistry. "Bayley, definitely not."

"Not yet," Seth repeated, giving the words a seductive weight. "So . . . someday, maybe?"

"We'll see. Now pay attention to the road. The turn-off's not far." Becky reached down by her feet and grabbed the bag for her clothes. Her warm jacket wouldn't fit in there, but Seth or one of the others could hold that for her. Her nerves were starting to jangle, but it was mostly a good energy, full of anticipation and, perhaps, a little more hope than she realized. A wolf alone was a dangerous thing; if Seth could accept and guard her secret, then that would make her little self-made pack one person bigger.

Seth looked from side to side as they turned onto a rougher service road, the SUV dipping every few meters when it hit an uneven patch. "This is a beautiful spot. I can see why you like it so much."

Becky nodded. "Just wait until we stop and the engines are off. It sounds . . . well, I mean, I can still hear things, but they're all natural sounds: birds, deer, the river. For humans, it's peaceful. Sometimes I come here even when I don't want to shift. It reminds me of home, I guess."

The first SUV parked just to the side of the road and Seth pulled in behind it. Once they all piled out and shut their doors, the serenity of the forest descended like snow. "I love it here," Bayley said, coming over to give Becky a hug. When she stepped back, she held out her hands. "I'll watch your jacket."

"You mean wear it to keep warm," Paige teased. She was wearing her trademark leather jacket and showed no sign of feeling the cold. Unlike Becky, she rarely worried about looking underdressed for the weather.

"That too." Bayley took Becky's jacket and put it on over her own. It was a tight fit, and it made her look like a bundled-up little kid sent outside to play.

Finn clapped Seth on the shoulder. "This way. We usually wait over here while she changes. Gives us a nice little buffer zone in case the wolf wakes up cranky."

Seth nodded and started to follow the others, but then darted back to give Becky a quick kiss. "Thank you," he said, pressing his forehead to hers. "Thank you for trusting me."

"Thank you for believing me." She couldn't thank him for not freaking out quite yet; only time would tell how he took the true reveal. After giving him a shaky smile, Becky took her bag and went behind a cluster of three tall trees. First she took out the blanket; sometimes her extra or recreational shifts could leave her feeling a bit tired when she changed back and she needed a few minutes to stretch out and rest. After she took off her shoes and clothes and stuffed them in the bag, she tucked the blanket on top. "Incoming!" she called out, lobbing the bag as far as she could. The warmer clothing was heavier and meant it didn't travel as far as she would have liked.

"You need some throwing lessons, Irish!" Seth called out.

"Careful," Paige replied, "or the first thing she'll throw is you out of her bed."

Listening to her friends bicker playfully somehow made the transition easier. It reminded her of runs back home, family and members of visiting packs all chatting amiably, oblivious to their state of undress, as they went through their transformations. She wasn't buoyed by lupine energy on all sides, but she could see feel and hear the affection of her friends, and it made the bone-wrenching parts easier to endure. Once she had fully changed, she padded around for a few moments, getting her bearings before stepping out where her friends could see her. 

"PUPPY!" Bayley called out like an excited child. It was her regular, and Becky had grown to like it.

Becky trotted over to her friends slowly, approaching Paige first. The vampire placed a kiss on the top of her head and then rubbed her lipstick away. "Hi, baby girl. Feeling better now?" Paige asked as she straightened up.

Nodding her head, Becky went to Finn and Bayley in turn. Finn dropped into a crouch and hugged her, whispering an Irish blessing into her ear before he stood and stepped back. Bayley hugged her too, as always, ruffling the hair behind her ears. "Gah, your ears are the best!" she exclaimed. "And your tail! I love your tail!"

"Bayley." Finn's voice was gentle as he took her elbow. "There's someone else she wants to greet, remember?" Then he looked over at Seth. "Since it's your first time meeting her, she'll want to smell you. Just stand still."

It wasn't truly her first time meeting Seth in her wolf form, but the other occasion had been under less than ideal circumstances. This time, it would be on her terms, and Seth would be fully aware. Still, she approached cautiously. She knew Seth was great with dogs, but seeing a full-sized wolf coming at you was another thing entirely.

She thought she knew Seth's scent from spending so much time with him in her human form, with her already heightened senses, but smelling him as a wolf unfurled so much more. After circling him once, listening to his heart to make sure he wasn't frightened, Becky stopped at his side and nudged his hand. Seth glanced down at her and then over to the others. "So it's okay to touch her now?" he asked in a low, even tone.

"Go slow. No sudden movements. It can take a few minutes for her selves to align. Trust me," Finn chuckled, "I learned that one the hard way." When Becky turned to look at him, he raised his hands in surrender. "I mean it with love, Rebecca. You know that."

Becky turned back to Seth, resting her huge wolf head against his thigh, waiting to see what he would do. Slowly, he lowered himself into a crouch like Finn had earlier, though he was wise enough not to start with a hug. He stroked her head gently instead, starting with the spot Paige had kissed and making his way down to her scruff. "Hi." The single word had all the shaky awkwardness of first-date jitters.

In reply, Becky let out a huff and leaned into his touch for a moment. So far, so good. Then she took a few steps back and looked to Paige, waiting for her to interpret. "She needs to run for a bit. That's her regular. But then she'll come back."

"Okay." Seth leaned against a tree, gaze following Becky as she darted between trees. A startled bird suddenly flew out of some foliage, but the distraction didn't faze her. She ran fast and far, finally able to have the long run she had been denied at the full moon, and at times her friends could catch only the barest glimpse of her fur or the curl of her tail.

As she ran, Becky could hear snippets of her friends' conversations carried to her by the wind, but she did her best not to eavesdrop. Her wolf brain wasn't the most accurate translator, to be fair, and she was sure Seth had tons of questions. Some of those would be better answered by Paige or Finn, since they were also observers and allies, and Seth needed the space and freedom to have concerns without worrying about how Becky would feel about it.

It was such an odd intersection. To have a lover who knew she was a werewolf, Becky had always assumed she would have to date another werewolf, which was complicated by her wrestling career. To wrestle, she had to work around the wolf, which at times felt like a match all its own: last creature standing, perhaps, or a cage match where the only way to win was to crawl out. She had never even considered that there might be someone who would willingly put a foot in both worlds for her.

After ten minutes or so, she ran back to the clearing. Bayley flung her arms wide, so Becky ran towards her. Some werewolves would have considered such antics with humans demeaning, but Becky saw it as pack bonding. She could never truly play with them the way she would with other werewolves, but this was close. It wasn't like they were throwing sticks and telling her to fetch them.

"Can I still call you Georgie?" Bayley laughed, bracing herself for the wolf's pounce. Becky's momentum and weight made Bayley stagger, but they never quite toppled over. "Okay, okay. But we really should pick a dog name in case we need one."

"Anything can be a dog name," Paige countered. "Just look at Instagram. There are dogs named everything from Adam to Zebulon." She was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, watching Becky greet Finn again before returning to Seth, her posture slightly cautious.

Seth saw Paige start to rise and he shook his head. "I'm good. We're good. Let her make the first move, I know."

"Good advice for humans and werewolves," Finn laughed. "I'm going to wander around and gather some leaves for my niece."

"Can I come with?" Bayley asked, brushing some wolf hair from her pants and leaving Becky's jacket by Paige. Becky wouldn’t need it for warmth—she was always extra hot after a run—but at least it would be there for her if she needed a quick cover.

"Sure." Finn looked around at the others. "When should we be back?"

Paige looked over to Becky, who was letting Seth pet her back. "Twenty minutes okay? Half an hour with you getting dressed and all?"

Becky dipped her head in a nod, and Finn and Bayley ventured out into the forest, chatting about the types of trees around the areas where they had grown up respectively. After butting her head against Seth's leg, she set off again, but found she had worn off most of her energy already. Between wrestling, regular sex with Seth, and less stress about keeping her secret, she was feeling calmer on the whole. When she finally loped back, Seth was sitting by Paige and she hung back a bit to give them privacy. Seth noticed and made a beckoning motion with his hand. "It's okay," he said softly. "We aren't talking about you."

Paige arched an eyebrow. "Well, nothing bad or private, anyway. Seth was just asking if there were signs he could look for that meant you were struggling with your wolf."

Becky curled up between them, resting her head against Seth's calf. After a moment, he reached down and let his fingers drift through her fur, picking out leaves and twigs that had gotten stuck during her run. "If she gets hurt as a wolf," he asked, "does it translate to her human body? Like if she scratches her leg, will her human leg have a scratch?" He gave Becky's side a gentle pat. "I don't mean to talk about you like you're not here. I just know you can't answer at the moment."

"That's why you should be asking the hard-hitting questions right now," Paige laughed, "like _What effect does a shift have on her libido?_" When Becky raised her head and let out a low snarl, the vampire patted her head. "Oh, puppy, you know I love you. Who's a good girl? _Who's a good girl?_" Becky playfully snapped at Paige's hand, teeth just grazing the skin. "Yeah, I deserved that."

Standing, Becky did a deep stretch before motioning with her muzzle at the trees where she had shifted. "Can she take the bag on her own," Seth asked, "or does one of you put it over there?"

Paige looked like she wanted to make a lewd remark, but the indents from Becky's sharp wolf teeth were still in her skin. "Take it over. There should be a blanket in there. Sometimes she needs to rest for a bit after before she gets dressed," she explained, "so spread it out and then come back. I know you've seen the show already, but it's a wolf thing."

Seth nodded and followed Paige's instructions to the letter, smoothing the blanket out over the forest floor and even opening the bag and setting Becky's items out in piles that were easy to grab. Then he stood, giving her one last head pat before stepping back. "We're just over there if you need us," he said.

Becky let herself change back slowly, the wolf ebbing away like a lazy tide; there was no rush, no match to get to, no cover to keep. When she was fully human again, sprawled across the blanket, she took a deep breath. Everything had gone well: Seth hadn't freaked out, she hadn't attacked him, and Bayley, Finn, and Paige seemed happy with how Seth was taking things. She let herself have a few minutes rest before sitting up. "Seth?" she called out.

He must have been conferring with Paige, because he didn't answer right away. "Yeah?"

"Would you. . . ." Becky lurched to her feet, still a bit unsteady. She could hear Finn and Bayley approaching from the other side of the clearing. "Could you just . . . sit on the other side of the tree while I get ready?" She leaned against one of the trees and peered around it. Both Seth and Paige looked surprised by the request.

"Sure. Whatever you need." Seth grabbed her jacket and strolled over slowly, as if he were still worried about upsetting the wolf. He stopped a respectful distance away and held out the jacket. "Is here okay?" he asked, pointing to a gnarled stump where one tree had started growing off of another. The newer tree must have either fallen and been taken away or been cut down for safety.

"Yes. Thank you." Had Becky remembered to tell him that her voice could sound clipped and distant when she first switched back? She hoped so. She took the jacket from him and returned to the blanket, stretching out again and gazing up at the canopy. Looking at the array of leaves this way was dizzying, like staring into an endless kaleidoscope. "How was it?"

Seth gave a nervous chuckle. "Out of context, that sounds . . . well, you know." The tree creaked as he struggled to find a comfortable position. "I mean, I won't lie. I'm still trying to process it all. There's some part of my brain that wants to say you just . . . hide behind a tree and send out a big wolf-dog or something. But I know that's not true. And yeah, watching you come out from behind that tree as a wolf . . . that was incredible; I can't describe it. You're beautiful." After a moment, he added, "How good is vampire hearing?"

"Not as good as mine," Becky answered, "but better than yours. Why?" 

"I'll save the rest for later then," Seth laughed. 

Becky smiled to herself. "_Later_ is a promise. So . . . you're not too freaked out? You think you can handle dating a werewolf?" She slowly sat up and started to grab her things.

"I know I want to date you," Seth replied, "and you happen to be a werewolf, so . . . yeah, I guess I'm dating a werewolf. That's not something I ever thought I'd say, but there you go." Then he cleared his throat. "So I was looking at the upcoming dates for the European tour. . . ."

She had been getting dressed while he was talking, and now Becky only had to tie her shoes. "You can come around now. I'm almost ready."

Seth rose but looked over at Paige first before edging around the trees. Becky looked adorably rumpled, not unlike she did after sex, and he sat down beside her slowly, wanting to keep his focus. "For the European tour," he started again, "I noticed that there was a gap between the French shows and the German ones. I was thinking maybe we could hop over to Ireland for a few days, you know, and visit your family. . . ."

Becky's heart lurched a bit and she buried her face in his shoulder in case her expression looked more stricken than smitten. "After that call, you still want to risk meeting my nan?" she asked.

"I think I kinda have to," he replied, "if I want to have any hope of a future with her favourite girl." Seth drew her close to his chest and rested his head on hers. "But that's your call. We can just hang out. You can show me some of the places you grew up. We can go see Finn's wrestling school. Whatever you want. I just know I want to spend the time with you."

Becky felt like she was shaking so hard that she was surprised Seth didn't comment on it. She was beaming from ear to ear as well, but he wouldn't have been able to see that. "I'd like that. I haven't . . . really been able to bring anyone home to meet them. The family. The pack. You'd better be prepared to get it from all sides, though. Questions, teasing, testing, all of it. They're going to be dubious at first."

"Well, I'm pretty sure I won your nan over," Seth grinned, "so maybe she'll put in a good word. If not, well, we'll see. I don't care what they think of me, or you, or us. As long as you're happy, I'm good." Then he pressed a kiss to her temple. "You are a fucking beautiful wolf, Rebecca Quin, and even more incredible as a human, and I just know I want to be with you, so I'll do whatever it takes."

Things were changing so fast. Becky knew Seth was speaking from his heart, that he believed every word with every ounce of his being, but she also knew that witnessing one transformation wouldn't be enough to convey the daily truths of her existence. It all might get to be too much for him one day, whether that was a week from now or a year, and she wouldn't be able to fault him for it. She could, however, be grateful that he wanted to try at all, that he wanted to be a part of both her worlds as much as he was able, and that he was willing to do the work to make it happen. She had never dared to imagine that someone would walk that path with her, the forest and the wrestling ring, and now she not only had several friends who would and did, but someone who wanted to be her partner too. Her career, her love life, her wolf: all the big aspects of her life seemed to be converging in ways that she had never dreamed possible, and for once she was glad she hadn't tried to imagine it, because she didn't think it could possibly be better than the potential life that was spreading out before her.


End file.
